Mystic Miracles II
by Ambermist-29Down
Summary: Nick has returned, much to Maddie's delight, but when he and the rangers go on a plane trip, tragedy strikes, leaving them on a deserted island with many othe people. And as they fight to survive, Maddie and Nick find themselves starting all over again
1. Chapter 1

Mystic Miracles II

STORY DESCRIPTION:

After a year of spending time with his parents and adopted parents, Nick has finally returned to Briarwood. The rangers are more than thrilled to have their leader back, especially Madison. The rangers and many other people from many places take a trip on a large plane to Palau, a beautiful island in Guam, but tragedy strikes. Will the people of oceanic flight 365 be able to survive and make it back home? Or will they be lost forever on the island they thought would be paradise, but turned out to be the exact opposite?

Chapter 1

Maddie stood behind the register and had just sold a CD to a customer. She smiled and waved to the person as she and her little girl left the store. Vida came up to her sister and said, "Hey, Maddie! I got this new CD and it sounds great on the tables. You want to hear it?"

Smiling, Maddie nodded. "Sure, let's hear it!" she exclaimed. She loved the music her sister played on the DJ tables. Vida began playing the song and Maddie smiled and put two thumbs up to tell her sister that she liked it. Vida smiled and nodded and kept playing the song. Maddie turned her head and looked out the window to a specific tree and made a face of disappointment, but was used to it. Looking out the window to that certain spot was like a habit for her.

She would always look out at that tree after… Nick left. Sighing, she looked back at the people in the shop. She looked back at when they had been power rangers. They had amazing powers and Nick had been their leader. Now, they weren't ranger anymore, ever since they had destroyed the darkness.

But for some reason, Maddie wanted the darkness to return. She missed the times when they were out on call and when they fought with everything they had. She missed testing spells, she missed fighting, she missed the adventures they had, and she missed Nick most of all. He had left a year ago to see his adopted parents. He had never called, but Madison hadn't expected him to. He was probably too busy to call, and Maddie didn't blame him, but she had missed him so much ever since he left.

Suddenly, the door to the shop swung open. Maddie smiled when she saw Amber come into the store. "Hey, Maddie," she said cheerfully, and then Maddie saw Adam come in after her. Amber mouth to Maddie, _I hate him!! _Maddie giggled. Amber walked up to Maddie. "Our stupid teacher paired us as partners for this stupid project!" she spat.

Maddie rolled her eyes in amusement. "But I thought he was a grade above you," she asked Amber. "He is, but I'm in eighth grade History, but the rest of the subject, I'm seventh grade, and we have the same History class," Amber explained. "Oh," Maddie said, giggling.

Amber glared at her friend. "He's so… mean," she told Maddie. "He's all trying to tell me what to do and how he thinks the project should be," she muttered. Maddie smiled. "Amber, I think that's the point. I bet he's just trying to give out ideas, after all, you two are partners and you have to work together," she said. Amber nodded reluctantly. "I know, I just… hate being partners with him," she said.

"He's such a rude and insensitive jerk," she said. "Oh, and you're not?" said a voice. Amber spun around to see Adam there and she glared at him. "No, I'm not," she retorted. He breathed an irritated sigh and rolled his eyes. "Hey Maddie," he said, pushing past Amber. She made a fist, but held herself back from punching Adam.

"Hi, Adam, I heard you and Amber are partners for a History project," she said to him with her eyes gleaming mischievously. Adam made a disgusted face. "I know. It sucks, working with her," he said after Amber walked off to look at some CDs. Maddie looked at him. "Maybe working with her isn't such a bad thing. Maybe you two could become… oh, I don't know… friends!" she said to him. "I can't believe you guys hate each other. You two are so much alike," she laughed. "No we're not," he protested, but Maddie didn't listen, but walked away with a smile on her face.

She walked outside for some fresh air and walked over to the tree where she had first really met Nick. Sighing, she looked down at her feet and then heard a familiar voice behind her. "Hey, I'm looking for four teen. They used to be the power rangers. Do you know where they are?" asked the voice in a fake question way. Maddie felt her heart leap and she spun around to see Nick standing there. "Nick!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nick almost fell back when Maddie hugged him, but he regained balance and hugged her back. "It's good to see you too," he said with a laugh. "Nick, I can't believe you're back!" she exclaimed. "We all missed you so much," she told him, letting go of him and smiling up at him. He smiled back and they both felt kind of uncomfortable, like the time they had both felt when they had become friends after being rivals for so long.

Finally, Maddie said something. "Come on! The others are going to be so glad at see you," she said and they walked into the Rock Porium. Vida saw them and her eyes widened in surprise. She took her headphones off and called for Xander and Chip. The three other former rangers raced up to Nick. Each ranger hugged Nick.

"Dude, I can't believe you're finally back," said Chip. "Yeah, what took you so long!" said Vida, playfully punching Nick on his shoulder. Nick laughed, but rubbed his shoulder, trying not to show Vida's punch had really hurt. Maddie stood there, looking down at her feet with her cheeks red, but she was smiling like she had never smiled before. She was so happy that Nick was back, but what she didn't know was why she felt so shy around him. It was as if they had started over again.

Nick looked at Maddie and opened his mouth to say something when Amber ran up to Nick and the others. "Nick, you're back! This is amazing!" she said with a smile. Adam followed her and smiled. "Hey, Nick. I didn't know you got back. How was it at your parents' house?" he asked. "It was great. Surprisingly, both my adopted parents and my real parents got along great. I was really worried, but it turned out nice," he said.

Maddie and Nick caught each others eyes, and she immediately looked down, trying to hide her flushed face. Amber noticed and smiled from Nick to Maddie. Vida gave the young teen a stern glance and Amber looked down herself. Adam started talking with Xander and Amber pulled Maddie over to a corner of the shop. "Why are you acting so shy around him?" she asked Maddie.

Maddie bit her bottom lip. "I don't know," she said. "It feels like we've started all over again," she admitted. Amber gave her a sympathetic look and then they went back to the group of teens.

Nick and Maddie walked along the rode. "So, how was it?" she asked. "It was great. I had fun. I also met some new people," he said. Maddie stiffened, wondering if he had met someone… like… someone who he had become really close to. She shook the thought out of her head and said, "I missed you."

He looked at her. "I miss you too. All of you," he said. She smiled and looked at his for a moment. "Guess what?" he said. "What," she said. "I know I was gone for a long time, and I didn't even call once, so I wanted to make it up to you… I mean, all of you guys," he said. "Nick, you don't have to do anything," she told him, smiling softly at him. They stopped and looked at each other, until Maddie's cheeks turned pink and she looked down shyly. Nick looked away and then said, "Um… I-I got tickets for all of us to fly Palau. It's a really cool island in Guam. I figured we could all hang out and do some fun stuff over there," he stammered.

Her jaw dropped. "Nick, you didn't… have to do that. I can't believe you did," she said. Nick smiled. "Well, you guys are my best friends. The first friends I had ever made and stayed friends with for a long time. We've been through so much together and I wanted to do something so we could all do something together again," he said. "To tell you the truth, I really miss fighting evil," he admitted.

"Me too!" she exclaimed. "I miss everything we went through," she said, and suddenly remembered when they had kissed. "Even when we…" she trailed off uncertainly, wondering if she should say what she wanted to. Nick knew what she was talking about and his own cheeks flushed. The two didn't say anything for a long time.

"Thanks, Nick," Maddie finally said. "When do we leave?" she asked him. "In a week," he said. She smiled and gently pushed past him, her shoulder bumping his as she went. "We better tell the others," she said as she walked back to the Rock Porium. Nick smiled to himself and turned around and followed her. "Wait up!" he called after her and caught up with her. Their eyes met for a second and she looked away, but smiled. _I can't believe he's finally back, but did he come back for me, or just because…?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Madison was packing, for every one of them had agreed that they would go the beautiful island. Vida was excited to chill out while Chip wanted to go exploring, and Xander wanted to meet new girls. Maddie wanted to go because it would be fun to hang out with her friends and do all sorts of stuff.

While she packed the last outfit, she saw Nick's baby blanket on her bed. She remembered the day he had left and he had given it to her. Breathing a sigh, she walked over to her bed and sat at the end of it and took the blanket at looked at it. She smiled and held it close to her and remembered all of the times she and Nick had fought and then how they had become best friends… all of the times they had fought side by side, and everything else they had been through.

Suddenly, Vida knocked on the door and she immediately put the blanket under the blankets of her bed and then said, "Um, come in, V," and Vida stepped into her bedroom with her suitcase. "Are you ready, yet? We're about to leave. Hurry or we'll miss our flight," said Vida. Maddie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm done," she said and zipped up her suitcase and they left.

They met Nick, Chip and Xander at the air port. Maddie wasn't carrying much, but Vida was carrying practically her whole DJ table. "Uh, V, are you sure all of that's going to fit?" queried Chip while Xander was almost laughing. "Oh believe me, I'll make it fit," Vida said determinedly. Maddie giggled and her eyes met Nick's. She looked at an angle away from him, and after thirty minuets, they boarded the plane.

Xander found a seat next to a pretty blond girl and Chip sat next to Vida, leaving Nick and Maddie to sit together. Maddie opened her mouth to protest to her sister as Vida sat down next to Chip. Vida shrugged her shoulders. Maddie wanted to say something, but the only think that came out was a moaning, "Oh."

Before she and Nick sat down, she couldn't reach high enough to put it in the luggage things, so Nick helped her. As they both sat down, she told him, "Thanks."

"No problem," he replied with a smile. She smiled back and she blushed, and immediately looked away. Nick didn't seem to notice, so he looked forward. They put their seatbelts on and the plain took of. Maddie didn't like flying, so she gripped the sides of the seat. Nick looked at her. "I'm not a big fan of flying," she admitted. He took her hand in his. "It's okay," he said. "We're all here with you," he told her. She smiled at him and nodded her thanks.

When the plain was in the air, Maddie began to relax. She looked at Vida, who was listening to music, Chip was eating something… gross, as usual, and Xander was flirting with the pretty blond girl. She sighed and said, "So… where's Udonna and Leanbow?" Nick looked at her.

"They're heading back to Rootcore today actually," he explained. "Udonna said that she can still teach us some more magic when we get back. Clare will be doing most of the teaching, since she's a sorceress now," he said proudly, recognizing how powerful his cousin has become.

Maddie nodded. "I wish we still had our magic back," she murmured. "Me too," he said to her.

After a few hours on the plane, the plane shook, and Maddie stiffened. Nick stiffened too. "Wow, that was weird," he said. The plane shook again, and this time, stronger. Then again… and again! Suddenly, the 'Put your seatbelts on' light appeared and the voice of the pilot was shouting, "Everyone buckle their seatbelts!! Now!!"

The plane shook once more and everyone began yelling and screaming. Maddie screamed and she gripped Nick's hand. He looked at her and gripped back. Suddenly, there was a tearing sound and Maddie didn't have to look back to know that the back of the plane had broke off. She began crying and saw a few people fly from their seats and fly out of the plane to their death.

She screamed and then everything went dark…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Maddie blinked her eyes open and saw trees looming over her. She sat up, but felt intense pain in her side. She gasped and looked down to see that she had a couple gashes on her side. She then remembered what had happened on the plane. She tried not to cry with the pain in her side, and stood and walked through the trees until she saw the fallen plane and many people scattering… looking for loved ones, trying to find somewhere safe, and what not?

She saw Vida, and ran to her sister. Chip and Xander were with her. "Maddie, thank goodness! You're okay," said Vida, hugging her sister. Maddie hugged her back. "Has anyone seen Nick?" asked Xander. Maddie then realized that there were bodies of the people that hadn't made it in the crash. Maddie then got a terrifying feeling and looked at Vida, then Xander and Chip.

"We have to look for him. He has to be somewhere," said Chip. "Don't worry, Maddie. Nick's a strong guy. He'll be okay," said Xander. "We'll find him," said Vida. Maddie nodded and looked around. _Pleas be okay, Nick_, she prayed in her mind.

Maddie saw Amber, who had joined them on the trip to Palau, well… half way to Palau… and so had Adam, much to Amber's dislike. Maddie rushed over to the teen. "Amber, are you okay?" she asked, hugging her. "I'm fine," she said, hugging her friend back. "I can't find Adam," she told Maddie.

Gulping, Maddie looked around and didn't see the boy anywhere. "Stay here, I'll go and look for him. Nick is missing too," Maddie told Amber worriedly. Amber shook her head stubbornly. "Let me come with you," Amber said. "No," said Maddie. Amber breathed a sigh and nodded reluctantly.

Maddie walked through the forest, shouting, "Nick! Adam! Where are you?!" No on answered. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes and Maddie spun around. "Amber, get out here!" she said. Amber stepped out of the bushes with a guilty expression on her face. Maddie gave her a stern look and she smiled guiltily. "Sorry?" she said. Maddie sighed and beckoned for her to follow her.

"Maddie, I'm sorry, but I wanted to come with you," she said. "It's okay, just don't scare me like that," said Maddie. Amber smiled and followed her.

"Maybe we should split up?" Amber suggested after thirty minuets of looking for Adam and Nick. Maddie looked at Amber and shook her head. "If we split up, we might get lost," she said.

Amber rolled her eyes in irritation and as Maddie walked, she slipped away and began searching down her own path.

Maddie kept walking and then turned around to say something to Amber five minuets later, and saw that she was gone. "Amber!" she shouted. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes and she said, "Come out, Amber. I told you not to scare me like that."

But it wasn't Amber in the bushes. Instead of Amber that stepped out from the bushes, a cougar came out and drew its lip back, revealing two rows of sharp white fangs. Maddie gasped in terror and began backing up slowly. The cougar hissed and came forward with every step Maddie took backwards…

_Please, someone help me!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The huge cat lunged at Maddie… but too scared to move, Maddie just gasped and her eyes widened with fear. Suddenly, something pushed Maddie out of the cougar's way. Maddie's back had been facing a cliff and the cat went flying down the gorge, letting out a piercing cry as he went.

Maddie opened her eyes and saw Nick on top of her. "Nick… you saved me," she said. Without saying anything, he stood and helped her up. "What are you doing out here alone?" he asked. "I was looking for you," she said defensively. "Amber was with me, but she disappeared," she said slowly, realizing that Amber might have been taken by the cat… not knowing that she had wandered off.

"Amber was with you?!! Maddie, she's thirteen, why did you bring her out here?" he asked angrily. "She followed me! What was I supposed to do?" Maddie snapped. They both didn't say anything for a long time. "Maddie, I'm sorry… I was just, kind of scared that you would get hurt by that cougar is all," Nick told her. Maddie looked down, frowning. "It's okay," she said, a smile coming onto her face.

"Let's go look for Amber," he said. "Yeah, she just disappeared out of nowhere. I don't know where she went," Maddie told him. "Why was she following you?" Nick asked, his voice filled with amusement. Maddie shrugged her shoulders with a smile. "I don't know. You know Amber. She's always getting herself into trouble," she said with a laugh. Nick nodded in agreement. "True," he said. They both laughed.

"Thanks Nick," Maddie said after a long pause. "For what?" he asked. She rolled her eyes. "For saving me, stupid!" she said, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "Ouch!" he said, rubbing his shoulder while smiling.

Amber walked through the jungle, listening carefully for any sound. Suddenly, she heard something in the bushes. She heard a growl and a rustle among the bushes and she began picking up her pace until she started running.

The sound followed her and she began to panic, but didn't show it. She looked behind her to see if she could see the thing that was following her, but she didn't see anything. Suddenly, she bumped into something really hard. She fell over and realized she was on top of Adam. "Adam! You're alive," she said with an expressionless tone, although it carried relief and puzzlement at the same time, but all the same, expressionless.

"Of course I'm alive. What the heck are you running from?" he asked, his voice filled with annoyance. "Something was following me," she snapped at him. Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes again and she stiffened, but then, a tiny little rabbit hopped out of the bushes and bounced off. Amber's cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

"You were running from a rabbit?" Adam asked, beginning to laugh. Amber turned even more red and the realized that she was still on top of him and she sat up and moved aside. "I-I," she stammered. She looked away, still completely embarrassed. Adam shook his head and stood. She stood too.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked. "I was looking for y-…" she trailed off when she was about to say that she was looking for him, when she realized how weird that would sound, but instead said, "I was looking for Nick. He wasn't where the plane had crashed," she said, and then suddenly remembered that they had crashed here. She and Adam became silent.

"W-we should get back to the plane. Everybody else is there," she said. Then she noticed that like her, Adam has a couple gashes and cuts. "Um… are you okay?" she asked him, for as much as she hated to admit it, she was scared and worried for him. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "You?" he said hesitantly. "I'm good," she said.

Nick and Maddie walked back to the camp where people were still bustling about, trying to revive others and trying to clean wounds. Nick saw a girl with long curly black hair who was lying in the sand. She stirred a bit, but her eyes were closed. Nick rushed to her, Maddie following close behind.

He knelt beside the girl. She looked about their age, if not, a year younger. He saw that her arm was completely covered in blood, and he found some cloth and cleaned her wound and wrapped her arm with the cloth. He began to nudge her and talk to her, trying to get her to wake up. She did.

Maddie watched, smiling at how gently and calmly Nick dealt with these situations. The girl opened her eyes and gave Nick a look that told him she was in pain and she was confused. He picked her up and carried her up shore to where some people had put some towels and some tents. He laid her down and the girl said, "Did you save me?"

Nick looked at Maddie and then to the girl. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," he said with a smile. The girl smiled and said, "I'm Mona." Maddie watched as Mona and Nick smiled at each other. "Nick," Nick said. Maddie said, "Um… I'm going to see if Amber's back," she said, and Nick turned to her and nodded. "Be careful," he advised. She smiled and nodded.

Maddie began walking, and looked back a couple times. Nick was the kindest person she had ever meant, and he meant a lot to her… but ever since he had come back… it had seemed as if they started over. _Have we?_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Maddie saw Amber and Adam emerge from the palm trees and ran over to them. "Thanks goodness you two are alright," she gasped. "Amber why did you leave?" she asked Amber sternly. "Maddie, I'm sorry! I thought that I had heard something, but I didn't want to bother you because I knew you'd want to keep heading the direction you were in," Amber explained. Maddie paused and then nodded.

"It's okay," she said. Amber gave Maddie a look that told Maddie that she really was sorry. Maddie smiled and gave Amber a look that told her that she was forgiven. Amber smiled thankfully and they walked to the beach.

Night had come and the stars spread among the dark blue ribbon above them. Everyone had gotten blankets to stay warm for the night and made fires. Suddenly, two guys started to argue. One was saying that a rescue plane was sure to come while the other was saying that they would be stuck on the island.

The two men started punching and barreling into one another. Nick stood and broke them apart. "Knock it off!" he shouted. Everyone became silent and stared up at Nick. "I know we have all suffered injuries and losses from the plane crash," he began, "but every man for himself isn't going to work. We need to work together to survive. Live together, die alone," he said. Maddie looked up at Nick and smiled. He looked among the crowd. There were at least forty-three people tops.

"We need to gather food from the plane, and tomorrow, a group will go out and look for the fuselage," he said. "Maybe we can find a radio where we can contact help," he said. "If we stay here for a long time, we'll need to search for materials we might need to make shelters, and then for food," he continued. "If we're not staying here, and rescue is coming, then we might need to have people on duty, looking for plane or ships. We need to be able to trust each other to make it if we are here for a long time, because even though we may all hate to admit it, there is a chance that rescue won't come soon, but we must have faith," he ended.

Everyone seemed to look to Nick for leadership, as if they expected him to be the leader of all of them, even people who were young, but still older than him. The sun rose the next day, and Nick had picked two people to come with him on the search hike for the fuselage. "I'm coming with you," Maddie told him, when he turned around. Nick jumped out of surprise that she was right behind him. "Don't' scare me like that," he said.

He walked past her. "Nick, I'm not going to stay here all day, wondering if you're even alive," she told him. Nick stopped and breathed a sigh, and then turned to face her. "Maddie, you're not coming," he said. "Yes I am," she said angrily. "Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I can't take care of myself. After all, I was the blue mystic ranger," she said with pride.

Nick smiled and then looked at her feet. "You're going to need better shoes," he said. She looked down and nodded. She walked over to the place where they had put all of the dead bodies and walked slowly amongst them and took off the shoes of a young woman who had died. She couldn't help but cry, but stopped soon after. "I'm ready," she said, coming over to Nick. He nodded, noticing that she had been crying and gave her a sympathetic look.

She just looked away and they began their journey… the search of the fuselage…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Amber walked down a path in the jungle, her arms folded across her chest. She wasn't mad or anything, but she was thinking… really thinking. How would they get off this island? It had been three days, and she was getting tired of the wait…

She stopped at a pond and looked at herself inside the clear the water and winced. She had gotten really thin and didn't look like herself. Sighing, she turned around and heard someone in the bushes. Suddenly, Adam came out.

_Why is he always where I am, _she though, moaning inwardly. "What are you doing here?" she asked him. "I could ask you the same thing," he retorted. She shrugged her shoulders, her face expressionless. She turned around and walked a couple steps away. "I don't know," she said. "And I want to know… so many things," she said. "When are we getting out of here? Are we even going to get rescued? If so, when?" she recited her questions. She was about to keep going when Adam put his hand up, telling her to stop.

Amber looked down, trying to hide the tears that were about to come down her cheeks. Adam noticed and felt kind of awkward and at the same time felt bad for Amber. Amber leaned against a tree and slid to the ground and looked down at her knees that pulled against her chest.

"You okay?" Adam asked hesitantly. Amber looked up at him and gave him a look that told him, _Do I look like I'm okay? _She sighed and shrugged her shoulders again. "I just want to go home," she said. Adam sat down next to her. "Me too," he said quietly.

_(Three days ago, when Maddie, Nick and Bill and Connor went to find the fuselage. In the present, it's three days after the crash)_

Maddie walked behind Nick and the two guys, Bill and Connor. Nick led the group, and suddenly it began to rain. "You think we should stop?" she called up to Nick. He looked back at the three and then up at the sky. "We should keep going as much as we can before the rain comes down harder. By the look of those clouds, there's bound to be more heavy rain fall," he said. Maddie nodded and they kept going.

Connor came up to Maddie. He was about the same age as Maddie, if not a year or two older. "Hey, Maddie, right?" he asked. Maddie noticed that Connor was a funny guy who was willing to do anything risky. "Yeah," she said. "I don't think we've properly met. I'm Connor," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake.

Maddie smiled and shook his hand. "And I'm… well, you know, Maddie," she said. "Your boyfriend is a pretty good leader. I think everyone's taken him to the leader of us until the planes find us," Connor said. "Oh no, Nick's not my boyfriend," she said, looking down and blushing. "Really, I thought you two were, by the way you spend time with each other," Connor said. Maddie's cheeks turned even redder.

"Well, he's a cool guy," Connor said. Suddenly, they all stopped and they gasped at what they saw in front of them. It was the fuselage…

"This is it," Nick said, looking up at the wrecked part of the plane. They began their journey into the damaged plane. The plane was tilted upward so they had to climb up to the front of the plane to find the radio. Maddie slipped, but Nick grabbed her hand and helped her back up. She made a small smile and they continued on their way up.

They finally got to the door of the pilot's area and Nick pulled open the door and the body of a dead man slipped out and they all yelled in surprise. They all slipped and almost fell down the plane. "You okay, Maddie?" Nick asked after a moment. She nodded.

"Oh, yeah, don't even bother asking how I'm doing. Connor's great. I only just slipped and almost fell to my death," Connor called up to them. Maddie giggled. Nick smiled and rolled his eyes. "Keep going!" Bill called up to them. Nick and Maddie climbed inside the pilot area.

There, on the table was a radio, and they couldn't believe what they heard… It was the voice of a man… _"H-hello… is… anyone there?" _the voice asked, half of it cut off by the static.

Maddie looked at Nick. Nick quickly grabbed the radio and pressed the button and said into the radio, "Hello, are you there? We're the survivors of Oceanic flight 815. We're alive! I repeat, we're alive!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Amber sat under a tree, trying to open up a cocoanut by smashing it against this sharp stick. She hit it and hit it, but only little tiny pieces of it chipped off. Sitting back, she folded her arms across her chest and breathed a sigh of irritation.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Adam, who was coming up to put more cocoanuts at her feet. "Great, more cocoanuts," she muttered. "If I even touch one of those again, I'm going to tear someone's head off," she swore. Adam shrugged. "Just so long as it's not _my _head," he said. Amber made a fake smile. "Ha ha, very funny. I'm serious!" she shouted, standing up and stalking away furiously.

Rolling his eyes, Adam ran and caught up with her and stood in front of her. "Oh, come on. I didn't mean it like that," he said. "I'm just…. trying to make things in a happier mood, you know? We may never be rescued," he said lowly. Amber's eyes softened. "Adam, we _will _be rescued," she told him. For a second, their eyes met. Amber caught herself and looked away. Adam did the same. "I should continue with those cocoanuts," she murmured and began walking back to the cocoanuts. "I could help you," offered Adam. Smiling, Amber said, "I'd like that. Thanks."

_(When inside the fuselage)_

Maddie's eyes widened. "T-that's….ss….. impos….s..a….b-ble" said the voice from the other end of the radio. "Please, it's us. We need help. We're on the west side of the island in the middle of the ocean and we're stranded. Some have died. Most of us are alive!" said Nick into the radio.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar and they all froze. "What the heck was that?" asked Maddie. Nick shook his head. "I don't know," he replied. "H…hello?" asked the voice from the other end of the radio. "We're here! Please, send help!" shouted Nick. "You're breaking up… I c-can't h-hear you," said the voice. Maddie's eyes become worrisome. Nick look at Bill, Connor, and Maddie before shouting into the radio again.

Suddenly, the plane shook and Maddie screamed. But it wasn't because they were falling from the sky like before…. "What was that!" yelled Bill. Connor was looking around, and froze. "Connor, what is it?" asked Nick. He shook his head. And then, Bill let out a wail and when they all turned to look to see what was wrong with him, he wasn't there. "Bill!" screamed Maddie.

The plane shook again and then on one of the windows…. the one where Bill was nearest, blood spattered. They all screamed…. and then the plane shook more violently and Maddie slipped and fell downward, since they were in the upper part of the plane and the plane was standing up with the nose in the air.

"Nick, help me!" she screamed, grabbing on a piece of a seat and hanging on for dear life. Nick grabbed her hand. "I won't let you fall, Maddie. Trust me. Reach up with your other hand," he instructed. She shook her head. "No…. I can't," she said. "Yes you can. Come on!" he said. Connor and Nick encouraged her to reach up. She did and he pulled her up. "Good job, Maddie!" called Connor.

The radio wasn't working anymore, so they got out of the plane when it started to shake violently again. There was another loud roar and a terrible shriek that sounded like Bill's voice. Suddenly, the ground shook and Nick said, "Run!!!" and they all began running. Maddie was in the front, then Connor and Nick last.

Just then, Connor's foot got stuck in a crack in the ground. Nick stopped to help him. Maddie stopped for a moment, but Nick signaled for her to keep running. She was hesitant at first, but then Nick said, "Maddie, Run!" So, she did.

She ran as fast as she could until she couldn't run anymore. She turned around to see that no one was behind her. She heard the roar from a distance, and hide under a tree. It had begun to rain hard. Her body was soaked and she began to cry. "Nick!!" she screamed. "Nick! Where are you?! Nick!!" she yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Slowly, she said, "…. One," and after a second, she said, "Two," and then "Three," and after that, "Four," and lastly…... "Five….." and stopped crying. She came out from under the tree and shouted, "Nick!" She heard something behind her and spun around to see Connor just barely coming out from behind a few bushes and crashed into her and they both fell over. "Maddie, thank goodness I found you," he said. "Connor!" she exclaimed and hugged him.

He hugged her back and they stood up. As they began walking and looking for Nick, Connor said, "I heard you scream. I heard you yell Nick. My name's Connor by the way, just in case you're ever looking for _me _when I disappear because I was only hear with you this whole entire time," he said, recalling that Maddie had only called out for Nick and not for him. Maddie laughed. "I'm sorry, Connor, but I really am glad you came along," she said gently. He nodded. "Thanks," he said and they kept walking.

As they walked onward, Maddie saw something lying a puddle at her feet. She bent down and saw a pin. It has a plane on it and then saw in the reflection of the puddle a tree and the body of someone in it. She looked up and saw a body in it. The body was covered in blood from head to toe. She gasped. She could tell who the body belonged to…. Was it Bill's……. or was it Nick's?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Amber lay back in the sand after breaking so many cocoanuts. It was so bright and sunny over here, but when she turned her head, she could see the darkest rain clouds and gray skies. It made her worry about Maddie and Nick. Would they be okay? She didn't know, but she did know that Nick would protect Maddie.

Adam sat down and asked, "Okay, I know you're worried about them, but stop looking over there. They'll be fine," he assured her, reading her mind. She sighed and then snapped her head around and glared at him. "I'll do what I want," she snapped. He gave her a look and shrugged. "Fine," he said and stood and walked away.

Sighing, Amber felt tears forming in her eyes. She wanted to go home. What if Adam was right? What if no one was coming to rescue them? She couldn't bare the thought of it, but she had to consider it… because it might be true. She didn't let the tears fall, but stood and took the cocoanuts over to a lady with short curly brown hair. Her name was Susan and Amber liked her. She always had the right words to say and the right mood to give off.

"Hey, Susan," murmured Amber. "Hello. What's wrong, my dear?" asked Susan. Amber shook her head, but then said, "A lot of things. I'm worried about Nick, Maddie, Bill, and Connor, I'm worried that no one is coming to rescue us…. and I'm scared that something is out there, not just animals or winds, something else…." She said. Susan looked at Amber thoughtfully.

"Amber, if you're worried about someone, then the best thing to do is pray or ask God to take care of them because we cannot determine their fate. Also, if you were older, I would say go look for them, but…. you're way too young to be out there alone," she said. Amber smiled. "Thanks Susan," she said to the old woman. "I've brought some cocoanuts for lunch," she said, beckoning to the cocoanuts. Susan smiled. "Thank you, dear. Go ahead and have some fun now. Children shouldn't have to worry about problems as big as the ones we have," she told Amber. Amber smiled and hugged the woman, but as she walked away, she thought, _that's what I need to do. I need to go and look for them…_

_(Today)_

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes and Connor and Maddie turned their attention away from the body in the tree and to the rustling bush. After a moment, Nick stepped out, looking calm, yet a little worried. "Nick! You're alive!" Maddie and Connor said that the same time…

Maddie ran up to Nick and hugged him. He smiled and hugged Maddie back. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Where have you been, you stupid head!" Maddie asked, backing away from him and punching him in the shoulder. "Didn't you hear me screaming your name?" she asked, her eyes angry. He looked puzzled.

"What do you mean? I was looking for you guys. I thought that thing got both of you. I didn't hear you and I passed that body in the tree, and I thought it was Connor," Nick admitted. Maddie sighed, her eyes softening, and hugged Nick again. Nick hugged her back. "I'm not that fat and I?" asked Connor, looking up at the body after Nick said that he thought it was Connor up there. Nick and Maddie began laughing.

"Now all we need to do is get back home safely


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Maddie sighed looking up at the tree. "I guess that's Bill," she said, her voice coming out as a scared squeak. Nick and Connor became silent. Maddie looked down, her thoughts crashing together like glaciers that it made her head ache. _I want to go home! _Maddie mentally told herself. She caught Nick's eye and turned away. How were they going to survive until the planes came to rescue them? If they would rescue them… She gulped and wondered what would happen to them if the planes never came. But the radio was working! That meant there had to be someone close. That meant there had to be a location where there were people. There just had to be…

Nick looked at Maddie. She was staring off into space. He looked back up at Bill's body. Blood dripped down from the tree. He stepped away from where the blood was falling. He touched Maddie's arm. She turned her gaze to him as if she had just awoken from a dream. "Come on, let's get back," he said.

"Are we going to leave Bill's body here?" Connor asked. Nick and Maddie looked up at Bill's body, lifeless in the tree. "There's nothing else we _can_ do," Nick told Connor. Connor nodded. "Nick…" Maddie said hesitantly. Nick looked at her. "Yeah?" he asked. "W-what exactly do you think that was that killed Bill?" she asked. When she said the words… _killed Bill_, she felt sick. She couldn't believe Bill was dead. She felt… confused. She looked at Nick. Connor just thought. "I-I don't know… but we're going to find out," he told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay," he promised her. She smiled softly, but still felt a bit uneasy…

Amber saw Adam lying in a patch of grass, staring up at the sky. "Adam!" she whispered, but he couldn't hear her. She didn't want the others around him to suspect a thing. "Adam!" she whispered again. He didn't hear her. She narrowed her eyes and sighed and picked up one of the tiny little bouncy balls that a woman's baby had brought to play with and threw one at him. Missed. She threw and missed again. She sighed and threw all of them at him. Bull's-eye! Adam shouted, "Ouch!" and sat up, looking around. He saw Amber and glared at her. He stood and walked over to her, one of the balls in his hands, as if he were going to throw it at Amber. Before he could throw it at her, she snatched it from his hand and said, "Thank you," then threw it at his head. "Ouch! What was that for!?" he yelled. "That was for not hearing me when I called you," she said simply. "Now shut up and follow me," she told him. "Why should I follow you?" he snapped. She sighed and turned around.

"Adam, Adam, Adam," she sighed. "Must you always ask stupid questions?" she murmured. "Yes… I mean No! That's not a stupid question," he retorted. Her eyes softened a bit. She looked down. "I-I wan to go find Nick and Maddie," she told him. "Why?" he asked. "You _do _ask stupid questions," she spat and turned around and began walking into the jungle. "Amber, wait!" he said, grabbing her arm. "You can't go alone," he said. "Since when do you care about me?" she muttered. "I don't- I mean I do, but…" he trailed off not knowing what to say. Amber pulled her arm free. "Don't answer that," she told him and stalked off. She felt him roll his eyes behind her and she broke into a run. She headed deeper into the jungle, not really knowing where she was going. She suddenly stopped when she really couldn't tell where she had come from. "Oh, great," she muttered angrily to herself. She heard something in the bushes behind her and felt scared for one second until she remembered the time she was chased by a rabbit.

_It's probably another little rabbit, _She told herself turning around. She walked towards the bushes and slowly pulled the leaves apart and gasped at what she saw. It was a horse… grazing peacefully beneath the golden sun. The horse's pelt was black as night. Amber tried to creep up to the horse, but the horse lifted its head when he heard her and let out a squeal of anger and terror. The horse reared up on its hind legs, lashing its hoofs out at Amber. Amber fell back. The horse reared up at her and Amber crawled desperately until she was blocked by a boulder. The horse reared up at Amber again and lashed out another time. Amber stared in horror. Would it kill her? The horse whinnied and then came down on all fours, probably convinced that Amber wasn't going to hurt it. It then turned quickly and galloped off. Amber's heart was beating so fast and pounding so hard against her chest that she thought that it was going to burst. She heard someone calling her name. She turned around and stood up to see Adam glaring at her. "What?" she asked as if she didn't know why he was mad at her. "Why did you run off?" he questioned. She rolled her eyes. "You're seriously asking me that question. I told you, I wanted to find Maddie, Nick, Connor and Bill," she said, shaking her head, trying to make him feel stupid.

"Then why were you on the floor and why do you look pale?" he asked her. "None of your business," she muttered and turned and walked off, wanting to find the horse. "Where are you going?" he asked, running to catch up with her. He stood in front of her and whenever she tried to go around him, he's block her. "You got something on your shirt," she said. He looked down and she walked around him. "Hey!" he shouted at her. "Adam, if you don't want to be here, then go back to the beach," she told him. "I can't leave you out here alone," he told her. "Why not?" she snapped at him. "Because I don't want you to get hurt!" he yelled back at her, standing in front of her again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Maddie, Nick and Connor walked through the jungle, all silent.

"Well, we know someone is close by, so that means that there has to be a station or something that can track our signal and get to us," Nick said, breaking the silence.

"So, there's a pretty good chance that we won't be staying here for long?" Connor asked. Nick nodded. Connor breathed a sigh of relief. Maddie stayed silent.

"Maddie, you okay?" Connor asked. Maddie nodded slowly. She could feel Nick's gaze on her and felt a sharp feeling creep down her spine. She glanced sideways and sighed.

"Let's head back. The others will probably want to know if we found a radio," Nick said.

They began their journey back to the beach. When walking, Maddie saw a blur of black and froze. The bushes rustled behind her and she spun around. Again, the bushes rustled and she spun around again, her heart pounding. She gasped when she spotted the blur again. Suddenly, the blur became a full image as she turned around again.

"Hello Madison."

Amber raised an eyebrow. "_You _don't want me to get hurt? Adam, that's the only thing you ever want…for me to get hurt!" she snapped. She turned around and began walking again.

"That's not true!" he protested, matching her pace. She stopped. She looked at him, her eyes full of puzzlement, anger, and frustration. "Just go back to the beach," she said after a long pause.

"Why, so you can get lost and maybe get yourself killed?" he hissed angrily.

"Of course not! That way I can look for Maddie and the others in _peace_," she said. She began walking again, but stopped when she heard a distant, but loud roaring sound. She turned around, but saw that Adam had disappeared. "Adam?" she said, stepping backwards. She heard the roaring sound again and gulped.

Suddenly, something jumped out of the bushes and pinned her down. She screamed. But when she opened her eyes it was Adam. He had a smirk on his face and was laughing hard. "Adam, you… you… oh, just get off of me!" she yelled, pushing him off.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" he said, laughing still. They were both on the ground. "You jerk!" she said, punching his shoulder. "Ouch!" he said.

He looked at her and his laughing died away when he saw that it was anger in her eyes, but fear and curiosity. "What, what's wrong?" he asked.

"If you hadn't scared me, you probably would have heard it," she said, glaring at him. "Heard what?' he asked.

Amber looked into the direction where she heard the roaring noise. "That roaring sound. It sounded like…. a monster," she whispered hoarsely.

"Amber, I think this creepy forest is starting to make you crazy. I didn't hear any-" Adam broke off as the roaring noise sounded again.

"Still think I'm crazy?" she retorted. Adam didn't look at her, but his jaw dropped and the gulped. Amber stood. "Let's go check it out," she whispered and began to walk towards the direction of the roaring sound, but Adam stood and grabbed the hood of her jacket and pulled her back. "You totally _are _crazy!" he said. She yanked herself away from him. "No I'm…. well, at least I'm not a coward!" she snapped. Adam rolled his eyes and let her go, but followed her.

"M-Melissa?" Maddie stammered. Melissa smiled eerily. Maddie suddenly realized her surroundings had changed. She was in a crushed car with Melissa sitting next to her, her body all bloody. "Melissa?" she said, but her voice came out barely heard and that's when she realized she was all bloody too. It was like she was reliving a memory all over again. She was suddenly under water with something shiny at the bottom. She was drawn to it, but couldn't hold her breath any longer. Just then, she was back in the forest with her regular surroundings. She still couldn't breath, though. She tried breathing, but couldn't. She sank to her knees, gasping, but no breath was in her. Melissa watched her with an unreadable expression and just tilted her head. Maddie looked around and didn't see Nick or Connor.

But then, she heard Nick's voice. "Maddie!" he shouted. Melissa turned and her eyes widened. Then she vanished. Maddie was holding her throat, but when Melissa vanished, she could finally breathe again. She fell, gasping for breath, taking in all the air she possible could. "Maddie!" Nick shouted, rushing to her side. "Maddie, what happened, are you okay?" he said.

Maddie was sweating, but was as cold as ice. She was coughing and gasping for air. "Maddie, you're cold, what's wrong?" he asked. She just shook her head and began to shiver. Nick took her fragile body and held her. "It's okay, Maddie," he said. "I-I…couldn't breath," she managed to say, still breathing deeply. "How?" Nick asked. "I don't know," she said, still shivering.

"Maddie, I think you're in shock. We need to get you back to the beach quick," he said. She shook her head. "I'm fine," she said, standing up. Luckily she didn't stumble. Nick nodded. "Connor's waiting in the forest," he said.

"You left him alone?" she asked. "Well, I had to come back looking for you," he told her. She was still taking deep breaths, but smiled and nodded. "Now, can you make it?" he asked. "Of course I can," she said, a little bit on the defensive side. Nick nodded and led her back to where Connor was waiting.

"Are you okay, Maddie?" Connor asked. She smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks," she said. Nick gave her a look. "Maddie… you're not fine. Something happened and I want to know what," he said seriously.

Maddie turned to him. "I don't know!" she snapped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice, but… I honestly don't know," she said, her voice frustrated. She turned and walked away about three steps and then turned back around. "I couldn't breath," she said, tears coming to her eyes. "I… I couldn't breath," she said, shaking her head. She didn't let the tears fall, but just took the lead in the journey back to the beach.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Amber crept carefully through the forest. It seemed to darken, blot out the sun. Shadows loomed over her and she felt a chill run down her spine. Taking a deep breath, she moved swiftly though the forest. She felt Adam quickening his pace behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she gave Adam a look to be quiet. He narrowed his eyes and she smirked.

She suddenly felt another presence. She felt like someone was right behind her, breathing down her neck. Turning around, she saw nobody. "Adam, if you think you're going to scare me again, it's not going to work!" she shouted. When he didn't answer, she felt her body tense up. "Adam?" she said, looking from side to side. Still, he didn't come out. She gulped, but then convinced herself that he was still trying to scare her. She narrowed her eyes and took a step towards the bushes, but then heard a shout. She could tell it was Adam's voice.

Gasping, she raced in the direction Adam had yelled from. She came to a bush and when she pulled apart the leaves, she saw a huge mass of black smoke. It seemed to have a mind of its own and moved. When it turned, she could see it was dragging Adam. "Adam!" she screamed. It was dragging him to a huge hole in the ground. "Amber, run!" he screamed at her. She shook her head and raced after him. "No! Run!" Adam shouted at her. Amber didn't listen and ran as fast as she could. She came close and grabbed his hand, but the black smoke began dragging her too. "Amber, get out of here!" she yelled. "No, are you stupid!" she shouted. She dug her heels into the ground and it slowed down a little bit, but the jerked her and dragged her too. Amber gasped when it began going to the hole.

Nick stopped the others. He could hear someone screaming. "Amber!" he shouted and he exchanged a glance with Maddie and at the same time, they began running as fast as they could through the forest. "Who's Amber?" asked Connor as they raced away. He began to race after them.

Maddie's eyes widened when she saw the black smoke dragging both Adam and Amber. "No!" she screamed. She and Nick dived to grab Amber's hands. Amber and Adam slid into the hole, but before they could be dragged all the way in, Nick pulled Amber up and Maddie helped pull Adam out.

"Oh my gosh, what was that thing?" Amber asked, in shock. "I don't know. But I think that might be the thing that killed Bill," Maddie said. "B-Bill's dead?" Amber asked, her eyes clouding with fear. Maddie looked at Nick and then to Amber. Maddie nodded. "We don't know how, but… yeah," she said. "You mean…. we could have just died?" Amber asked. Adam was panting for breath and looked from Amber to Maddie and Nick. Maddie hugged Amber. "It doesn't matter, you're safe now."

Nick looked down the hole and heard a roaring noise and said, "We need to get out of here… and fast," he said. Adam nodded and everyone got up and began heading back to the beach. "Hey, guys, wait up!" shouted a voice.

It was Connor. "Man, you two can run fast," he said. "I saw the smoke. Can anyone tell me what it was?" he asked. Maddie shook her head. "We don't know, but… it's dangerous," Nick said. Connor gulped. "Come on, we need to head back to camp before it comes out again," Adam said, taking the lead.

Amber followed behind him and in an hour, they were back at the beach.

Nick looked at Maddie. Maddie gave him a scared look. "Nick, what was that thing?" she asked. Nick shook his head. "I don't know, but like I said, it's dangerous. From now on, I don't think anyone should go in the forest alone," he said. Maddie nodded in agreement. "What if it finds the beach?" she asked him. Nick was in thought. "Well, it hasn't come near here so… I don't think we have to worry about that," he said. She looked unconvinced. "I just hope we get rescued soon," she said and hurried off to go and find her sister.

Nick watched after her. He sighed and then Connor came up to him. "Are we going to tell the people about the black smoke?" Connor asked. Nick beckoned to a huge crowd of people racing towards them. "I guess so," Nick said.

One woman asked, "Did you find the plane?" An old man asked, "Did you find a radio? Did you reach a station?" Many people were asking questions all at once. Connor whistled and made everyone quiet down.

Nick shot Connor a thankful glance and said, "We found the fuselage and the radio, and we reached somebody," Nick began, but before he could talk again, everyone began asking more questions. "Everyone, quiet down!" came a shout. It was Vida, coming over with Maddie, Chip and Xander. "Let him speak," Maddie said loudly.

Nick continued. "We reached someone and we let them know that we're alive, but before I could let them know anything else, something happened. Something shook the plane and made us loose the connection. But, it means that someone has to be close and if they tracked our signal, they'll reach us soon," he said.

"But there's another thing," Connor said, right after the people began breathing sighs of relief. Connor beckoned for Nick to tell them about Bill and the black smoke.

"At first we didn't know what had shaken the plane, but we knew it wanted to get us. We ran, but it took Bill. We ran and we got separated. When Connor, Maddie and I had found each other, we noticed something up in the tree," said Nick, fear and pain in his voice. "It was Bill. He… he was killed," Nick said sadly.

Suddenly, a woman let out a wail of pain and grief. "Oh my god! No! Bill, No!" the woman screamed. Nick felt sadness fill him and he felt bad for the woman.

"What was it? What killed him!?" shouted a teenage girl. It was Mona. Maddie could tell Nick was thinking of a way to explain the black smoke to them. "We don't know exactly what it was… but it was a huge mass of black smoke. It was… alive. I almost killed Amber and Adam too," Nick said, beckoning to Adam who was on one side of the crowd, and then to Amber, who was on the other side.

"Black smoke!" said a guy, as if he had just been told a ridiculous joke. "There's no such thing as alive black smoke!" said a woman.

"It is too!" Amber shouted, stepping up to Nick. She turned to the crowd. "I would know. It attacked Adam and I. It dragged us into this hole and if it weren't for Maddie and Nick, Adam and I wouldn't be alive," she said with frustration in her tone. People looked at Adam and he nodded in agreement.

Voices of fear and disbelief filled the crowd. "But will it come here? Is it safe to stay at the beach?" asked a woman, holding a tiny newborn baby and a little girl clinging to her side.

"It hasn't come here so far and it seemed as though it wouldn't come to the beach. And besides, the beach is the safest place to be. It would only put us all in more danger if we moved into the forest," Nick said.

"We stay here on the beach and make camp. I'll need at least two groups of people to go out to the forest to get food. And at least ten people looking for things to make shelters from," Nick said.

Maddie felt a smile creep onto her face. She admired Nick so much. But then it disappeared. She couldn't help but feel far away from him. She wished they could go back to being enemies and become friends all over again. It felt so different. Without their powers, they had nothing to do together, he could never get mad at her for not being careful, she could never get annoyed at him for trying to tell her to not be a klutz, she just wanted to go back in time and do it all over again. She didn't want to change a thing, but she just wanted to relive it.

"Maddie?" Chip asked, seeing that she was in a daze. "Yeah?" she asked. "You okay?" Chip asked her. She nodded. Chip then shrugged his shoulders and continued to listen to Nick.

Darkness covered the bright blue sky, making it night. Some people had made fires and Maddie has just arrived back with some food for the people. She, Vida, this guy named Daniel and his brother Josh had gone to look for food.

She walked and sat by one of the fires alone. She sighed and out her face in her hands. She wanted to go home… to go back to Rootcore, back to Briarwood, back home. She looked up and gasped when she saw Melissa again. "Melissa!" she screamed. "Hello, Maddie," Melissa said. Melissa was covered in blood, but was playing with her toy plane. "It's all I have left of my father," Melissa said. Maddie's heart was pounding as she watched a blood soaked twelve year old play with her toy plane, humming a song. "Your not real, your not real," Maddie said, shutting her eyes.

"Oh, but I am real," Melissa said. "And so is this," Melissa said, holding up the plane to Maddie. Suddenly, her surroundings changed again and she was by a river, swimming again, and again, she couldn't breathe, but then her surroundings changed back and Melissa was gone. She could breath.

"Maddie, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Nick said, sitting down beside her. "I just have," she murmured to herself, just so she could hear.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Adam sat beneath the shelter of a tent. He breathed a sigh and looked at a book. He took it and opened it. He had _never_ liked to read, but… he'd do anything to get his mind off the thought of being stranded on this island. He suddenly remembered back at his school where around Christmas time, they had a gift exchange.

_(Gift Exchange)_

Yes_, Adam thought as he took the present. When his teacher told them to open them, he did it as fast as he could, but his smile faded when he saw what the present was. _A book light! _He thought to himself in disappointment. He stood up. He said, laughing, "I don't read, so, um, anyone want to trade?" Luckily, a girl named Alexis, who loved to read, traded presents with him. The presents weren't at all expensive presents. More like presents for little kids. Adam was happy when he traded the book light for a notepad that had princesses on it. "Better than a book light," he said._

Adam smiled when he recalled the experience. Suddenly, a girl Adam had made friends with days before tonight, came up to him. "Hey, Adam," she said. Adam smiled. "Hey, Rachel… what's up?" he asked.

Rachel came at sat next to him. "Nothing, you?" she asked. Adam shook his head. Rachel nodded understandingly. "You want to get off this island?" she asked him. "Who doesn't?" he said. Rachel looked outside of the tent and into the forest. "Me?" she said.

"Rachel, are you crazy! I don't think you mean that," Adam said. Rachel turned to him. "I mean it," she said. "There's something…. Special about the island," she said.

"Like what?" Adam asked. "When I came onto this island, I was paralyzed," she told him. "I couldn't walk at all, couldn't move from the waist down," she continued. "When I woke up on the island, I was hurt, but… I could move my toes, and then my legs and I stood for the first time in five years," she ended, smiling.

"You were paralyzed?" he asked. "But how?" he inquired. Rachel's face darkened. "My step-dad," she said. "One day, he came home drunk. I… wouldn't listen when he told me to get him another beer and… so, he pushed me and I fell out the window. I fell four stories and broke my back. I almost died, but my real dad was very wealthy. He paid for me to get fixed and he and my mom had my step-dad arrested," she ended.

"Wow, but… I don't see how the island can do that," Adam said. "Me neither, but it did. The island may be dangerous, but… it full of miracles. I can feel it," Rachel said. Adam was amazed. He had lots more questions, but he didn't press any further.

He looked out the tent and saw Amber with a blanket around her. She was sitting next to a girl and a guy that looked about their age.

"She your girlfriend?" asked Rachel with a wide smile. "No, definitely not," Adam said in a serious tone. "Oh. I thought you were by how much time you guys are together," Rachel said, her eyes carrying a confused expression.

Adam shook his head. "She's my age, only a little younger, but… I don't know. All of our lives, we've always hated each other, but… a while back, we were with Maddie," he said, beckoning to Maddie who was sitting and talking to Nick, "and we were getting chased by this… guy, and he almost caught Amber and ever since then, I feel like… like it's my duty to protect her. I don't know, but… it's strange. I mean, somehow I've always felt like that," he said to Rachel.

"Do you like her?" Rachel asked nervously. Adam didn't reply all at once, but after a while, shook his head. "No," he said.

"She's the most stubborn and irritating person I've ever known," he told Rachel. "I can see that. There's always tension between you two," she added, laughing. Adam smiled. "Yeah," he said.

"What do you mean you just have?" Nick asked her. "I just saw a ghost," she said. "…But, that's… Maddie are you okay?" he asked her.

Maddie shook her head. "You just need to rest," he told her.

"No," she said. "I'm fine, I just… I think I'm seeing things," she told him.

Nick looked worried for her. "Maddie, I'll help you to your tent, but you need to rest, okay? I'm worried about you. Maybe you're catching something," he said.

"No, I'm not!" she snapped, but she didn't look at him. "It's the island," she said.

Nick looked confused. "What?" he asked. "It's the island," she told him again, this time looking at him, her eyes full of fear and tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"Maddie, come on, you need to rest," he said, helping her up. She didn't object and she walked to her tent. She saw Vida already sleeping and she lay in her sleeping bag, trying to fall asleep too.

Nick watched her and then walked outside and sat along by the fire. He sighed. He wished they could go back in time and not have taken this stupid trip. It was his fault that the rangers were in danger; it was his fault that Amber and Adam had almost been killed. "It's my fault we're here," he whispered to himself.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Amber walked out of her tent and into the sunlight. She walked over to where Adam was sitting and cracking coconuts. "You know, you still haven't thanks me for saving your life," she said. Adam gave her an annoyed look.

"Well that's because you _didn't _save my life," he retorted hotly. Amber glared at him, her brown eyes fierce. "I did to…. well, okay, I didn't. Maddie and Nick did, but I tried! If it weren't for me, it would have pulled you into the hole quicker and they probably wouldn't have heard us if I hadn't screamed," she said proudly.

Adam looked at her a raised an eyebrow. "Okay fine. Thanks for _trying _to save me," he said. Amber smiled proudly. "You're welcome," she said. Adam rolled his eyes and went back to cracking coconuts.

"You know we need to find out what that thing is, right?" she asked in a serious tone all of the sudden. Adam looked at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her gaze was unreadable. "…Yeah, I guess, but obviously not us," he said. Amber narrowed her eyes. "Why not?" she asked. Adam laughed. "Because, Amber, we're kids," he said.

"Oh, _now _you're a kid. What about all the times when you were an _adult_?" she asked, making her fingers quotations marks when she said, adult. "I think you're just scared," she said, turning around and beginning to walk away.

Frustrated, Adam threw the coconut down and said, "Yeah, Amber, I am scared. I'm scared that I might get killed, I'm scared that I might not get off this island, I'm scared of everything here," he said.

Amber slowed to a slow walk so she could hear what he had to say.

"And I know you are too," he told her. "You're scared too," he said.

Amber froze. She turned around and saw that he was standing and staring at her.

--

Maddie sat by the low flamed fire pit, talking with Xander and Vida. "Do you think we'll ever get off this island?" asked Xander.

"We found a radio connection, so… yeah. If there's a station nearby, they could trace our signal," Maddie told him. Vida nodded.

"So the chances of us staying any longer are low?" Vida inquired.

"Very low," Maddie said with a smile.

They all began talking about what they should do while they were there. "Swim in the ocean?" suggested Maddie warmly. Xander nodded. "But not right now. I think I see a pretty girl who needs someone to talk to," Xander said in a flirty voice. He stood and headed over to a redhead girl and Maddie and Vida laughed.

"Just watch… one day, he's going to get smacked upside the head," said Vida, shaking her head, but smiling at the same time. Then she turned back to Maddie.

"Nick told me about what happened yesterday on the way back here. What exactly did you see?" Vida asked her sister.

Maddie's smile disappeared. "V… I don't know exactly what happened, but… I saw Melissa," she said, her voice hoarse.

Vida's eyes widened. She shook her head. "No… that can't be, Melissa's dead," she said.

Maddie nodded. "I know but… I saw her. She was right in front of me as though she were fully alive. She was covered in blood, just like that night. Every time I saw her, my surroundings changed. I was swimming and I saw something shiny, but then they changed back, but I felt like I was still in the water… I couldn't breathe. Melissa just stared at me and didn't do anything. But then Nick came and she vanished. I could breathe again, but… I still felt cold. It was as if she was drowning me," she said.

Vida asked, "How many times did you see her?"

"Twice. Just last night I saw her. She was bloody again and playing with her toy plane, you remember that toy that she loved so much?" she told V. Then my surroundings changed again and we were in the car. She was next to me, dead, but I saw something shiny again and then I was suddenly swimming again, but when my surroundings changed back to normal, I could breathe," she explained to Vida.

"Do you think it's the island?" Vida asked after a long pause.

Maddie nodded. "It has to be," she said.

"But how?" Vida asked. Maddie turned to her sister and gave her an unknowing look.

"I don't know, sis," Maddie breathed.

"Well, we're going to figure this out. If anything attacks or happens, I know all of us haven't lost our battle moves. We may have lost our magic, but we can still fight," she said.

Maddie smiled. She looked into the horizon. It was morning, so the sky was a blanket of light blue, speckled with a few puffs of white. She smiled when she felt a warm breeze whisk around her and closed her eyes. She could hear the ocean waves overlapping and crashing onto shore… so loud, but so graceful at the same time. She opened her eyes and turned to her sister.

"Well," she said. "We might as well make the most of the time we have here," she added.

She and Vida smiled and stood, racing to the ocean. As soon as they splashed into the warm water, they started splashing each other and laughing. It was the most fun that Maddie had ever had since they crashed onto the island… and it felt good.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Nick walked back onto the beach and from the forest. "Nick, are you sure you're alright?" asked Connor.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Nick said, looking at his side. Blood gushed from the deep and large wound. Connor may not know it, but he knew that if he didn't fix his wound, he'd loose a lot of blood. He gave his back pack to Connor so Connor and Mona could gather the fruit from it and give it to the people who were hungry… especially Clara, who was eight months pregnant and nineteen.

He sighed and saw Maddie and Vida playing in the ocean. Catching Maddie's eye, he smiled. She waved her hand to him and he gave her a curt nod. He grabbed a sewing kit and headed back into the forest.

--

Maddie frowned when she saw lots of blood on Nick's shirt. Even though he smiled at her, she knew something was wrong. She winced and she turned and knew that Vida saw that he was hurt too. "I'll go see what happened," Maddie said to her sister. Vida nodded and watched her sister run after the former red ranger.

Maddie raced after Nick, but when she reached the forest, she couldn't find him. She searched for about fifteen minutes. "Nick!" she called out for the millionth time. "Ni-" she broke off as she saw Nick kneeling in a clearing on the sandy floor. He was wincing in pain as he touched the spot on his shirt where a lot of blood was.

"A-are you okay?" she asked.

Nick's head shot up. "Maddie… I didn't know you were there," he said.

"What happened?" she asked.

Nick winced and he began to explain to her what had happened.

_(How Nick got hurt)_

"_Nick, can you reach it?" Connor asked him, watching Nick up in a tall tree, reaching for the mangos. "Almost," Nick said. Then, he got it. He dropped it to Connor, who caught it and put it in Nick's backpack._

_Nick climbed down from the tree and Mona walked over to him. "Hey, I saw some fresh mangos in that other tree. Connor says that he's going to climb that other tree. If you both do it, it'll go quicker," she said. Nick nodded and looked at the crooked tree. Again, he nodded and began to climb to tree. _

_When he reached the top, he dropped the mangos, and Mona caught them, doing the same for Connor who was in the other tree right next to him._

_Suddenly, there was a whisper in Nick's ear. He felt as though someone was there, breathing down his neck and whispering something in his ear. Gulping, he spun his head around, but saw no one. He shook his head and continued picking mangos from the tree. He saw another one that looked plump and ripe and reached for it._

"_Can't reach," he murmured to himself. He reached farther. Still couldn't reach it. Suddenly, he felt that chill again and spun his head around. No body was there…_

_Sighing, he shook his head and turned around to face forward, but gasped at what he saw. He slipped and lost his grip and footing. He slipped, hearing the sound of his skin being ripped by the hard, sharp bark of the tree. His side skid the bark all the way down the tree. He shouted in pain._

"_Nick!" screamed Mona. He fell onto the forest ground, holding his side. He stood and lifted his shirt, revealing a nasty looking wound._

"_Here, let me clean it," Mona said, taking Nick aside. Connor came down from the other tree and winced when he saw Nick's wound._

"_Oh, that looks bad," Connor said. Nick shot him an obvious look. "Does it hurt?" Connor asked him. Mona dabbed his wound with a wet towel, cleaning off the small pieces of bark that clung to his skin. Nick winced._

"_What do you think?" he asked, not in a mean tone, just an unreadable one. Connor tilted his head. "Yeah, I'm guessing it hurts," he said after a while. Mona shook her head and turned back to Nick. _

"_You took quite a fall," she said to him. "What happened?" she asked him, her eyes full of concern. Nick looked up at her._

_He shook his head. "I-I… nothing actually. I just lost my footing," he lied._

_Mona looked unconvinced, but didn't press any further. After a while, she was finished cleaning his wound. "Okay, it's clean, but you'll need to sew it up… like stitches," she said. "Unfortunately, I can't give stitches," she said with a guilty smile. _

"_It's okay. Don't feel bad. Thanks, though," he said. They stood and began their way back to the beach._

_(What's happening now)_

"Wow, that must have hurt," Maddie told Nick. "C-can I have a look?" she asked. Nick lifted his shirt to reveal the wound. Maddie bit her lip to keep herself from gasping at the sight of the wound. "It's… uh," she trailed off.

"Very bad," Nick finished for her. She nodded. He stammered after that. "I… uh, need help… with, uh, stitching it up."

Maddie felt her heart thud hard against her chest. Did he mean her?!

"Have you ever sewed anything before?" he asked her.

"I… sewed a blanket… a while ago," she said. "But I don't think… I can…" she trailed off.

"Please, Maddie. I just… need some help right now," he said.

Maddie nodded and took the needle and thread.

She felt her heart pound so hard against her chest when Nick took off his shirt. She tensed and he turned his head and looked at her. She looked from his nice body to his face and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "You okay?" Nick asked her.

Forcing a smile, she nodded. "Y-yeah, I-I'm good," she said, taking a deep breath. She began sewing up his wound and every time he winced, Maddie jerked back.

"You know, you don't need to be afraid," he said.

"But I'm hurting you," she said. Nick laughed and shook his head.

"It's okay. It only hurts a little and it's not because of you, so don't worry," he told her.

She smiled and blushed slightly. She continued and felt tense when her hands touched his body. Her heart pounded so hard, she was afraid that Nick might hear it. "You know, I remember one time I was sewing up my friend. She had been cut deeply and she had lost consciousness and she had already lost a lot of blood. We were in the forest and we got lost. I remember calling my uncle who was a doctor and he talked me through the whole stitching thing. I remember cutting a layer of tissue that wasn't supposed to be cut. She began bleeding more and more, nerves spilling from her like angel hair pasta, but my uncle told me to count to five. I slowly counted to five and suddenly, I wasn't scared anymore. I cleaned all the blood up and stitched her together. She was fixed and we were found. I saved her life. I was about fourteen at the time," Maddie ended.

Nick smiled. "Wow. So you're not only a film-maker, but a doctor too, huh?" he asked. Maddie tilted her head back and let out a laugh. "I miss my camera," she said with a small whine. "I would guess so," Nick said.

She smiled. "Finished," she said. They both stood. Maddie noticed how nice Nick's abs were and tried to look at his face and not at his stomach. Nick put on his shirt, much to Maddie's relief… and disappointment. "Thanks," he said. He reached his hand up and touched her cheek. At the moment he touched her, the memory of him climbing up the tree and onto her patio and touching her cheek, flooded into both their minds. It was as if an electric charge surged through them. It felt like exploding sparks. Nick kept his hand there and their eyes met. Maddie, for some reason, shrugged away after a while and looked aside. Nick flushed and looked down. "I-I'm sorry," he said.

Maddie looked back at him. She shook her head. "Don't be."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Amber saw the sun dimming, beginning to turn the day into afternoon. She looked around and made sure no one was watching her. She then began walking fast into the forest. Knowing to stay close alongside the beach so the black smoke wouldn't wander near her, she kept walking deeper and deeper into the forest.

They had been on the island for about almost a week. Amber counted the days and realized tomorrow meant something… as well as marking their seventh day on the island. She sighed and sat down on a big rock. She buried her face in her knees, wanting to sleep… to dream about going back home, and being with her family.

"Man, they must be so worried," Amber murmured aloud. She looked back up and looked from side to side, feeling a bit uneasy. Inhaling a deep breath, she dug her feet into the sand, the smooth, small grains of earth sinking between her toes. She exhaled and looked at her feet, forcing a smile and closed her eyes.

Thinking of her family once again, she felt tears swell up inside her eyes. She missed her best friend, Alyssa, her sister, Nicole. She even missed her brothers, Jake and Ryan. Trying her best not to let her tears roll down her cheeks, she bit her lip.

--

Adam carried the gallons of water with Rachel, Kevin and Jenna. Jenna was Rachel's sister and Kevin was a guy whom they had made friends with on the beach the day before.

"I can't wait till we go home… I hate carrying water from the ocean to the beach," Jenna said in disgust. Kevin nodded.

"I know what you mean," Kevin agreed.

Adam saw Rachel roll her eyes. "I like it. I'll do anything to move my feet," she said with a smile.

Adam remembered that Rachel had been paralyzed from the waist down on the plane, but was completely healed when they crashed. He smiled back and he continued carrying the water to the beach with the others.

He walked onward, thinking about his family and everything he had left behind. His sister, mom, step-dad, older brother, his friends and… even his school. Sighing, he looked down and kept walking. He could picture his mother crying, his sister looking around unknowingly, his friends becoming sad, his step-dad searching for him.

_Man, they must be worried_, he thought to himself. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"You miss them… I know you do," Rachel said, coming up by his side. He looked at her surprised that she had read his mind.

Adam nodded slowly. "Of course I do," he murmured.

Rachel gave him a kind look. "I miss my family too," she said, turning to gaze in front of her. "But… I'm glad I have my sister here with me. It's much better than being here alone without anyone you're close to," Rachel told him.

Adam nodded. "You're lucky," he said. Rachel narrowed her eyes and looked at him, but then looked back at the dirt. "You are too," she told him.

Adam raised an eyebrow.

Rachel smiled. "You have Nick, Maddie, Vida, Chip, and Xander… and Amber," she said, listing the people, her eyes still looking in front of her.

Adam suddenly thought and realized he did have a lot of people that he was close to on the island. He smiled and turned his head to look at Rachel. She looked at him and they both smiled.

Then Adam thought about Amber. As much as part of him didn't want to admit that they were close, he had to. He thought about everything that they had been through and couldn't help but smile. She is always so daring, adventurous, stubborn… yet caring and funny at the same time. He sighed and stopped when he heard something behind a thick row of berry bushes.

He beckoned for Rachel to stay silent and Rachel signaled for the others to quiet down. They did. Adam carefully peered through the bushes and saw a familiar person. Tan skin, long brown hair, and a thin body, he recognized it as Amber. She was hiding her face in her knees and he could tell she was upset.

Rachel appeared beside him and she caught site of Amber and gave Adam a knowing look. She beckoned for the others to follow her. Adam was about to protest, but he knew that he should find out what was wrong… and more importantly, why she was out here alone. He nodded to Rachel and he watched as she led a confused Kevin and Jenna away from the clearing.

Taking a deep breath, he thought to himself, _well, here goes. _He stepped out of the bushes and into the small beach clearing where Amber sat on a large boulder.

Amber spun around, her eyes wide with fear, but Adam saw her relax when she saw that it was just him.

"Hey," he said. Amber didn't reply, but just turned around and didn't say a word. That wasn't like her. Adam came up and sat next to her. "What's wrong?" Adam asked her. "Why are you out here alone?" he asked a little more seriously.

Amber just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She put a strand of her brown hair behind her ear and looked down at her hands. "I-I just wanted to… get away," she said, glancing at Adam, the returning her gaze to the ocean in front of her.

The clouds had turned peach and purple in color and the sun was lowering every minute. It was a golden orange color and Amber tilted her head to one side, just looking at it.

She stood and walked a little ways off. She stood and watched the sky. "I miss everyone, Adam. I miss my parents, my brothers and sister, Alyssa. I want to go home," she said, tears filling her eyes. She couldn't help but let them fall this time. They were too much to hold back. They began streaming down her cheeks and she looked down, feeling so tiny… as if it were just her… alone and against the world… and the world was winning by hundreds and hundreds of miles.

Adam didn't know what to say. He felt bad for her. But… he saw her in a different way. He had never seen her so upset, so fragile and small looking… so scared. Without thinking, he stood too and from behind her, wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him.

It was then when she couldn't hold it in. She broke down in his arms, falling to the ground and crying hard. Adam sank to the ground with her, still holding her… comforting her…


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Maddie saw Nick tense. She had made it awkward again. Wincing, she looked down and to her side. "I have to tell you something," she said to him, looking back up at him.

Nick looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "What is it?" he asked. He saw Maddie bite her bottom lip. "Maddie, what's wrong?" he urged.

Maddie took a deep breath. "I've been having visions. And seeing people… I shouldn't be seeing," she said.

Nick looked puzzled. "Like whom?" he asked.

Maddie didn't reply all at once. She searched for the right words to tell him that she had been seeing dead people. She gulped and inhaled another deep breath. "Dead people," she said. "…well, a dead _person_," she added, hoping that would make it a little better. Apparently, it didn't.

Nick's eyes turned to disbelief. "Maddie that's crazy! How can you be seeing a dead person? Maybe you're just confusing a real person for-" he broke off as Maddie snapped at him.

"I know what I saw!" she hissed. "I'm not crazy and I'm not mistaken… I knew I shouldn't have told you," she snapped, her eyes flaring with anger.

"Maddie, I'm sorry, but… that's just…" he trailed off and she finished his sentence for him.

"Crazy?" she said. Nick didn't answer and Maddie turned and stalked off.

"Maddie, wait!" Nick called after her, chasing after her.

"Why don't you believe me?" she asked, spinning around to face him.

Nick opened his mouth to say something, but then just shook his head. "I can't… I just can-" he trailed off again when saw a person behind Maddie.

Maddie turned around and saw Melissa, standing there. She was bloody and was glaring at Nick. "She tells the truth," Melissa said simply.

Melissa motioned for Maddie to follow her.

Maddie took a step towards Melissa, but Nick grabbed her hand and pulled her gently. "Maddie, are you crazy? We don't even know who that is," he said.

"You don't know her. I do," Maddie said angrily to Nick. She yanked her hand away from his and followed Melissa.

Nick raced after her. "What if she hurts you? Who is she?" Nick inquired.

"She's not going to hurt me… and she's Melissa. She was my old friend when we were kids. She's dead," Maddie said, not looking at Nick, but still following Melissa. Melissa was headed towards the river. Maddie tensed when she remembered the river in her visions. But without hesitation, she continued going after Melissa. They came to the river and Maddie gasped for breath when she felt as though something was knocking the breath out of her.

Suddenly, she was having a series of visions. She saw herself holding a shiny box. Then, she saw someone opening her hand to reveal in her palm, a silver key, after that, she saw Nick holding up a cream colored envelope, his eyes angry at her. After that scene, she saw herself standing in the sand. Soon after that scene, she saw fire and then the sun lowering behind the hills, then people with bags over their heads at night with guns in the middle of the jungle and after that scene came the last scene with someone injecting a person with a long needle and she heard screaming.

Just then, her surroundings changed back and she gasped for breath again, falling to the ground. She took in deep breaths and looked at the river.

Melissa looked at her and Maddie nodded. Melissa smiled and gave Melissa changed from bloody to beautiful and clear of wounds. She looked flawless.

Melissa knelt down to match Maddie's height. "Maddie… it wasn't your fault. It's okay," Melissa said, smiling at Maddie.

Maddie felt tears swell up inside her eyes and she forced a smile. "Thank you," she said. Melissa wrapped her arms around Maddie and hugged her. Maddie hugged her back. "Thank you," Maddie repeated, tears rolling down her cheeks. Melissa let go of Maddie and smiled. "Bye, Maddie," Melissa said and then disappeared.

Nick watched in disbelief, stunned. When Melissa disappeared, he rushed to Maddie's side. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, not looking at him. She stood and looked at the water. She took off her shirt to reveal her blue bikini that she had put on earlier. She took of her pants and looked at Nick, who opened his mouth to question what she was going to do. But before he could ask her, she dived into the water.

She swam deep below the surface, not really knowing what she was looking for. Suddenly, a ray of silver shine caught her eye. She turned her head towards the figure, but went back up to the surface to get air. She saw Nick and he asked with worry, "Maddie, what are you doing?"

Without answering, she took a deep breath and plunged back under the water. She swam towards the object and soon realized it was the shiny metal silver box in her visions. She also saw that it was under a plane seat that was part of their plane that must have landed in the wide river and drowned. She almost lost her breath when she saw that there was the dead body of a man, whom she recognized as Melissa's father. She then grabbed the box, but it was stuck. She pulled it harder… still nothing. She had to go back for air.

She swam back up to the surface and took some deep breaths. Nick was watching her and without acknowledging him, she swam back down as fast as she could and grabbed the box. She tugged, and it was released, but then the body fell on top of Maddie and trapped her, making her get her foot stuck in the crack of a stone.

She screamed under water, but knew Nick wouldn't be able to hear her. Not only was she stuck, but there was a dead man on top of her. She screamed again… probably out of human nature. She was losing breath quickly and she felt herself beginning to lose all of it. The light began fading from her eyes, but she still kicked.

She closed her eyes and saw her life flash before her eyes.

Suddenly, she opened them and saw the face of the dead man in front of her and began to struggle again, but didn't realize that someone had gotten her out of the stone. Her eyes were peeled shut and she was kicking and struggling to get free.

Suddenly, she reached the surface and screamed, but gasped for breath at the same time. She realized that she was out of the water and knew that she was in Nick's arms. She took in deep breaths and knew that when she thought Melissa had been choking her, was just a pre-experience of her almost drowning. That's probably why when she saw Nick, she could breathe again.

Nick lay her down on the flat and solid surface of a boulder and said, "Maddie, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Maddie was too in shock to answer him. She just continued to take in deep breaths. Finally, she managed to say, "I'm fine."

He smiled and stroked her hair. She smiled back at him and she sat up and hugged him, knowing she could have just died and lost him forever and the fact that he saved her life… for the millionth time.

"Thank you, Nick… so much," she said, taking deep breaths in between words. He hugged her back, realizing he could have just lost her right now.

Nick suddenly narrowed his eyes. "What's that?" he asked.

Maddie turned her head and saw the silver box beside her.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Night took over the once pretty pink and yellow sky. Amber stared out into the open… staring at nothingness. It wasn't until an hour later, she realized she had finally stopped crying and that Adam was holding her.

She continued to stare into space. "You think we'll ever get rescued?" she murmured all of the sudden.

Adam blinked. It had been a while since she had said anything. It took him a while to take in the question.

"Yeah… we'll be rescued," he said after a long pause.

Amber shifted and stood up, Adam's gentle grasp on her releasing. He stood too. Their eyes met for a second and she looked away.

Adam saw her face was flushed and her cheeks were damp after crying so hard.

"Thanks," she said, looking down. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and bit her lip.

"You're welcome," Adam said, his gaze resting on her for a couple seconds. Amber tensed, as she felt him watching her.

"We should get back to camp," she said, her voice and expression unreadable.

Adam guessed the awkwardness of the situation had gotten to her. It had gotten to him too. He hoped they could both forget this thing ever happened. It wasn't… them, to be like that. They weren't… close enough to be there for each other. Well, not like that at least.

"_Depends; who are you trying to convince?"_ asked a voice behind Adam. He spun around and saw no one there. He felt his blood begin to run cold and felt his skin tingle. He gulped.

Amber stared at him. "Are you coming or not?" she asked, her stubborn, snappy voice returning.

Adam shook his head. _Great, now you're hearing things, _he thought to himself.

"I'm coming… you stubborn brat," he said, murmuring the last part of his sentence; his voice inaudible to Amber.

Amber narrowed her eyes and led the way back to camp.

"Hey Adam!" said a soft voice.

Adam turned around to see Rachel coming up beside him. He smiled. "Hey," he said.

"So what were you and Amber doing out in the jungle?" she asked teasingly.

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Nothing," he said. Rachel gave him a disbelieving look.

"Really, we were doing nothing," he said seriously.

Rachel's eyes softened. "You were out there for over an hour with her," she said. "What happened?" she asked.

Adam breathed a sigh. "She… broke down," he told Rachel. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "She misses her family. She wants to go home. I was just there," he said.

Rachel nodded. "You guys didn't do anything did you?" she asked. Adam rolled his eyes in frustration. "No!" he said, laughing a little at the end. "She just started to cry and I… well, I held her. Comforted her I guess. It seemed like what she needed. And I guess I was right because now she's back to her normal stubborn self," he added, glancing at Amber who was sitting by the fire, poking the wood with a stick, watching the embers flutter above.

"Ah," Rachel said, smiling. "Are you… sure you don't like her?" Rachel inquired hesitantly.

Adam looked at Rachel and saw something in her eyes he didn't get. "I-I'm sure," he stammered, wondering what she meant by the question.

Rachel's light brown hair gleamed beneath the moonlight. He stammered for something to say. They both couldn't say anything.

Adam stiffened when Rachel began to lean towards him. However, he leaned towards her too.

Soon their lips met into a soft kiss. Adam didn't know how long it lasted, but he _did _know it felt good…


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**Hey guys, I'm sorry for not updating for a long time but I was wondering, since I'm getting more input on Amber and Adam, I was wondering if you guys wanted me to make the story about them…**

Amber's eyes widened. Her jaw dropped a little and she gulped. "Well I didn't see _that _coming," she murmured.

"Me neither," said Trevor.

Trevor was a friend that Amber had made earlier in the month. They had been on the island for almost three weeks. Trevor had been her best friend on the island. He was always there for her to talk to him… when she _wasn't_ with Adam.

Amber inhaled deeply and narrowed her eyes. She turned her head and looked aside. She glanced at Adam and Rachel. Their lips were still pressed against each others, but after two seconds, they broke apart.

Adam looked at Rachel. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling. When her eyes opened, he saw her face flush red. She looked down shyly. "Wow," she said, biting her lip while smiling.

Adam laughed a little. "Yeah, wow," he said, looking away. He saw Amber looking at them, her eyes widened with surprise. He laughed a little bit and smiled. He saw her instantly turn away and he shook his head.

Rachel stepped a little closer to him. "Thank you," she murmured. He smiled softly and let her lean against his arm. He flushed red when she rested her head on his shoulder. Together they sat there, looking at the stars.

Amber rolled her eyes and turned around, letting out an exasperated sigh. Trevor laughed. "Do you like him or something?" he asked her, throwing a log of wood into the fire. The embers rose and danced through the air around them, like fireflies fluttering around a ribbon of darkness.

"No!" Amber snapped. "I could never like Adam. I've known him forever and… no, just no," she muttered, laughing a little.

Trevor smiled. "Mmm," he said. She smiled. "What?" she asked, looking at him.

"Nothing," he laughed. Amber glared at him playfully and rolled her eyes with amusement.

"Guys are so complicated," she said, propping her elbow on her leg and letting her chin rest in her palm. Trevor let out a laugh.

"Yeah right! It's you girls that are complicated," he murmured. Amber shook her head. "Nope," she said, giggling. This time Trevor rolled his eyes. "At least we have reasons to be complicated," she told him. Trevor just smiled and looked at her. She smiled and looked down, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

She turned around and saw Rachel leaning against Adam's shoulder and felt something cold rush along her spine. She narrowed her eyes and looked down, not knowing why she felt so… angry? No… jealous? Heck no!! That couldn't be it.

She looked back again and breathed a sigh. She glanced at Trevor who was staring at her, his expression unreadable.

"You _do _like him don't you?" he said. She sighed and stood up and went to sit right next to him. Their shoulders touched and she smiled gently.

"I don't," she whispered, leaning towards him and pressing her lips against his. Trevor was surprised at first, but eventually leaned into her, adding passion to the kiss. She touched his cheek and he ran his fingers through her hair.

She couldn't help but glance sideways, wondering if Adam could see them… and he was!

_Two can play this game, _she thought.

Adam felt himself tense. Rachel stood upright and gasped. "Oh my gosh," she said, laughing a little.

"What the hell is she doing!?" he said, glaring at them. Anger flared inside him when he saw Trevor put his hands on her neck and hair. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Amber lean into him. Suddenly, he saw Trevor's hands begin to wander. Amber tried pulling away, but he kept his lips pressed to hers. His hands formed fists when she tried harder to pull away, but he kept on pulling her close to him. "That's it," he muttered.

He stalked over to the two and pulled Trevor off Amber. "Hey!" Amber shouted. Trevor fell to the floor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Adam shouted.

Trevor stood up. "What the heck, man!" he shouted, pushing Adam.

Adam shoved Trevor back hard, making him fall back again. "Get your hands off me!" he shouted.

"Adam, stop!" Amber pleaded, pulling him back. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't beat his ass!" he shouted, stepping towards Trevor.

"What are you going to do, huh? Go ahead, just try it?" taunted Trevor.

Anger rushed through Adam and he surged forward, pinning Trevor to the ground. Trevor swung his fist at Adam, but Adam dodged them and punched Trevor.

"Stop! Stop! Adam, please! Stop!" Amber screamed, pulling him back still. Adam heard Amber beginning to cry, but ignored her.

"I saw you! You were trying to feel her up, weren't you? You sick son of a-" he broke off as he felt someone touch his shoulder softly. He looked over his shoulder to see Rachel staring at him with concern deep in her eyes.

Behind her, he saw Amber with fear clouding her brown eyes, tears coming down her cheeks. He suddenly froze and looked around him. People were staring at him from every direction. He looked down at Trevor, whose nose and lip was bleeding.

He stood up. Amber rushed to Trevor's side. "Are you okay?" she asked, helping him up. "I'm fine," he said, nudging away from her. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. He just glared at Adam.

"Forget it," he said, and turned and walked away.

Amber opened her mouth to say something, but he turned and left before she could say anything. Anger swelled up inside her and she turned around and burst out at Adam, "Why did you have to do that! What the hell is wrong with you!? You ruined everything!"

"Amber, he was wanting more than just a kiss!" Adam shouted back.

"I can fight my own battles without your help!" she snapped, turning and beginning to walk back to her tent.

He grabbed her arm, and spun her around so they were face to face. "I was only trying to help you!" he shouted angrily.

"Were you?" she retorted quietly, her gaze burning into his. They were both silent. After a while, Amber looked down at her arm. "Let go," she muttered. He let her go and she walked over to her tent.

When she was inside, she collapsed onto her blankets and cried.

Adam stood still as he watched Amber go. He then turned his gaze to the side and then looked up and saw people looking at him. Nick, Xander, and Chip were looking at him while Maddie was whispering something to Vida.

"Adam?" asked a voice from behind him. He felt someone touch his arm and he spun around. "What!" he snapped.

Rachel jumped and took a step back.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rachel," he said. "No, it's okay, really," she murmured, twining her fingers with his. He smiled a little.

"Thanks," he said. "I don't know… I just, Trevor was… ugh, just thinking about it makes me mad," he said.

"As it should. I think it was really admirable what you did," she said, leaning against his shoulder.

"But I shouldn't have gone about it that way," he muttered. She smiled. "We all make mistakes, Adam," she told him softly.

He smiled and kissed her, but felt like he should be somewhere else.

When they broke apart, he sighed. "Amber probably hates me," he murmured. Rachel giggled. "When _isn't _she mad at you?" she said. "Just give her time. Amber's… strong-willed. She'll get over it sooner or later," she added gently.

He nodded and looked over to Amber's tent.

_But will it be sooner… or later? _He thought to himself.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**Hey guys, I want to ask you guys something. In all of my reviews, they seem to have more input on Amber and Adam, so I was wondering if you guys would mind me changing the story to just Amber and Adam… or would you guys like me to keep going on with Maddie and Nick?**

Adam came out of his tent and squinted his eyes when the bright sun rays that shined down on him. He looked around and saw Rachel talking with her sister and Maddie with her sister. Nick and Xander were trying to convince Chip not to eat an oyster he had found and everyone else was just socializing. They day was beautiful and everyone seemed to just be enjoying.

He looked around for Amber, but didn't see her. It was three days after the Trevor situation. Breathing a sigh, he walked down to the beach and stood in the water.

He spun around when he heard someone call him. "Hey Adam!"

Rachel came running up to him. "Hey," he said. She narrowed her eyes when she saw him turn and look out at the ocean.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He shook his head. "Have you seen Amber?" he asked her. Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Oh," she said.

"What do you mean, "Oh"?" he asked. Rachel shook her head. "You really do care about her, don't you?" she asked.

"What? Where the heck is this coming from?" he asked her, touching her arm. She smiled a little. "It's just… everything is about Amber. Amber this, Amber that. It just seems like… you're," she trailed off.

"It seems like what?" he asked, his voice shaky a bit.

"Like… you're in love with her," Rachel said, not meeting his gaze.

Amber lay in the sun. Her body lay on a towel that spread across the soft sand. She inhaled deeply as the sun's rays touched her bare back. She wore a red bikini and closed her eyes, enjoying the sun's warmth.

She lifted her head and blinked her eyes open. She tilted her head to one side and stared out across the horizon. The sun was shining and the waves looked nice and small. She smirked and stood up. She stepped onto the sand that sunk between her toes.

She stood before the water and raised her hands to her hair and stroked it back into a ponytail, but before she could tie it back, she saw Adam staring at her. Their eyes met for a moment, her brown eyes blazing furiously into his…

Adam inhaled and stared at Amber. _Whoa, _he thought, his eyes lingering her body. _Dang, she looks hott._ He shook his head to clear his thoughts and gulped when he saw her eyes. If looks could kill…

He saw her shake her head and wade into the water. He sighed with frustration and turned around and walked away. He looked over his shoulder and saw Amber resurfacing from the water and tilted her head back. He stared at her for a couple seconds and stumbled over a branch, but regained his balance.

"Damn it," he muttered.

Suddenly, he heard a crashing sound. He looked out at the ocean and saw a huge wave crash down where Amber was swimming. His heart pounded hard against his chest. Where was she?!

"Oh God no," he murmured, freezing. He waited a couple seconds and didn't see her reappear above the water. "Damn it, Amber," he muttered and raced towards the water. He jumped in and swam deep into the water.

"Amber!" he shouted, looking around. He dunked his head underwater to see if she was under. She wasn't… at least not in that area. He came to the surface and inhaled deeply. He swam deeper and again looked underwater. His eyes widened when he saw Amber's limp body sinking down into the water.

He swam down deeper and grabbed her waist and pulled her up. When they reached the surface, he gasped for air, but he didn't hear Amber make a sound.

_Oh God, please be okay, _he thought. He swam past the waves that tried pulling him deeper into the water. He made it onto land and carried Amber farther and put her down on the sand. He felt her pulse and she wasn't breathing. "No… Amber, wake up. Come on, please wake up," he said, putting his hand behind her head and stroking her hair.

He felt his heart pounding faster and faster. He looked up. "Help!" he shouted. No one could hear him, for no one was anywhere around him.

Adam looked down at Amber. He didn't know how to do CPR, but he could try. He tilted her head back and tried CPR. He tried and tried, but nothing happened. He felt fear creeping along his spine. "Please, God, don't let her die," he whispered. "Please Amber… come on, just breath. Wake up," he said.

He bit his lip. _Do mouth to mouth, you idiot! _A voice said behind him. He turned around, but saw no one. He thought about the mouth to mouth for a second and realized he had to do it if he wanted to save Amber.

He looked down at her and gulped and inhaled deeply. He bent down and pressed his lips close to her. He felt an electric shock run through him, but kept still and breathing into Amber. He listened to her heartbeat. Nothing.

He tried again and again, but still, nothing happened. He tilted his own head back far and closed his eyes. "Please, God, save her," he said, feeling his heart pounding fast.

Suddenly, Amber began coughing. She coughed out water and her body jerked. Adam looked at her and sighed with relief.

When she had finished coughing, she fell back on the floor and moaned. He leaned over her and touched her forehead. Blood oozed from a wound there. "Thank God. Are you okay?" he asked. She didn't say anything, but murmured something he couldn't hear. He tilted his head back and looked at the sky. _Thank God._

Blood slid down the side of her head and he winced. He then put an arm behind her back and his other arm under her legs and lifted her up. To his surprise, she wasn't that heavy. Well, they hadn't been eating much, so… that could be it, but he didn't care at the moment. Her body felt really limp in his arms and he carried her to camp.

People gasped and stared as he carried her to Doctor Shepherd's tent. He saw Rachel staring at him with an unreadable expression.

He looked forward and entered the Doctor's tent. "Hey Doc!" he shouted. Jack came into the tent as well and sighed. "What happened?" he asked, quickly helping him set Amber down on the doctor's table.

"She almost drowned. I guess she hit her head on a rock or something. At first she wouldn't wake up, but then she did," he said out of breath. Jack looked at him. "You saved her?" he asked. Adam nodded. "Yeah," he said.

He let Jack do his job and stepped back. He watched as he examined her heart rate and then addressed her wound.

"You might as well go," Jack said gently. "She'll be okay, but she's not gonna be waking up anytime soon," he told him.

"Why not?" Adam asked. Jack sighed. "The injury on her head is what made her unconscious before the water did. It's gonna take some time for her to have the strength to wake up."

Adam nodded. "Alright," he murmured. "She'll be fine, I promise," Jack assured him, giving him a curt nod and then returning to Amber and checking her wound.

Rachel walked up to Adam. "That's one great thing you did," she told him, smiling softly at him.

Adam didn't look at her, but shook his head. "I shouldn't have gone off on her and Trevor that night," he muttered.

Rachel let out a patient sigh. "You did the right thing. Amber's… lost right now, and she didn't know what she was doing. If you hadn't stopped Trevor, who knows what would have happened. You care about her, and there's nothing wrong with that," she said.

He looked at her, his eyes troubled. She smiled and leaned towards him, pressing her lips onto his and kissed him. He kissed her back, but it didn't make him feel any better. He breathed a sigh and wished he had never gotten in a fight with Amber.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Amber blinked her eyes open. She tried sitting up, but moaned when pain seared through her head and lay back down. She touched her forehead and felt the bandage. Looking around, she realized she was in Jack Shepherd's doctoring tent. She tried remembering what had happened and remembered the wave crashing down on her. She had been pushed deep into the water and she remembered not being able to breathe or make it to the surface. She was doing summersaults in the water and hit her head really hard on something. Then it blacked out… until she was choking and then could finally breathe. She remembered someone saying something to her and then blacking out again.

She tried sitting up again, this time more slowly. When she was sitting up, she saw Doctor Shepherd come in. "You're awake," he said cheerfully. Jack was young and good looking. Amber was surprised at first when she found out he was a spinal surgeon.

"What happened?" she asked, her brown eyes showing much confusion. Jack smiled. "Adam saved your life," he told her. She narrowed her eyes in puzzlement. "Adam?" she asked.

Jack nodded. "Apparently you almost drowned. You hit your head on a rock under the water and he swam out and got you. Your heart stopped and he revived you," he said. Amber's jaw dropped and she was silent. She looked down, remembering how mad she had been at him. "He… he saved me," she said.

Doctor Shepherd nodded again. "You've been out for almost two days now. Maddie's been worried about you," he told Amber. Amber nodded, her mind still fixed on Adam. She couldn't help but smile a little to herself. She then turned to Jack. "Am I okay to go?" she asked.

"Let's have a look," he said. He examined her and she was fine. "You're free to go," he said. "Just be careful where you swim and don't be too rough out there," he added. She smiled. "Thanks," she said and went outside, and almost instantly was overcome by Maddie's hugs. "Okay," Amber said.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Maddie said, hugging her again. Amber laughed. "I'm okay, really," she said.

"Amber, you… died. You're lucky to be alive again," she said, hugging her once more and letting her go on and say hi to her friends.

Amber thought about what Maddie had said. "I died," she murmured. She walked over to the edge of the jungle and sat on a low branch. She didn't know what to think…

"You're awake," said a voice. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw Adam standing there.

"Yeah," she said, not knowing what to say. He walked over to the branch and sat next to her. "I'm glad you're okay," he said. She smiled and looked down. "Thanks," she said, "A lot," she added.

Adam smiled too. "No problem," he said. "Is your head feeling better?" he asked. She nodded. "Better," she said. "I don't know how to take the bandage off, though," she said.

"Oh, here," Adam said, gently touching her forehead, but then stopped. "May I?" he asked. Amber nodded. He gently took off the bandage. She winced once, but didn't protest. He finally got it off and touched her forehead softly again.

Adam's face suddenly darkened and he turned and looked forward. "I'm sorry," he said. Amber narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Why?" she asked. "You saved my life. I didn't think that was something to be sorry for," she said, her voice filled with puzzlement.

He shook his head. "For that night… when you and Trevor…" he trailed off. Amber looked forward, realizing what he meant. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Oh," she said.

There was a long pause.

Suddenly, Amber said, "Don't be."

Adam looked at her, but she just looked forward. "I should be apologizing," she murmured. "I didn't know what the hell I was doing," she said. "I'm not the brightest person out there," she said, trying to laugh, but couldn't. She just breathed a sigh.

Adam shook his head. "To be honest, you're one of the brightest people I know," he said. He saw her smile and he smiled too.

She turned to him. "I never thought I'd say this, but… I'm glad you're here on the island. And I don't mean that in a bad way… I mean, with me," she said.

Adam nodded. "Same here… even though you're a pain in the ass," he said. She gasped and swung her fist at him, but before she could hit him, he got up and ran away. She got up too and ran after him. She caught up with him and pulled him down. They both fell and rolled in the sand. Amber flushed red when she found Adam on top of her.

She could tell he felt awkward too and got off of her and sat down beside her. She sat up and smiled. "You're such a dork," she murmured. "Oh, look who's talking," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"Amber?" said a voice. Amber turned around to see Trevor standing there. Adam turned around too and Amber looked at his expressionless face.

"Can I talk to you… alone?" Trevor asked.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Amber looked down and thought about it for a moment. She glanced at Adam, whose face was still expressionless. "Sure," she said after a long pause. She stood and walked towards the jungle with Trevor.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked hesitantly. Trevor was looking forward. He sighed and said, "I wanted to say I was sorry. I… I didn't know what I was doing. It's just… I like you, a lot. I don't know what came over me," he said.

Amber blushed. "You like me?" she asked. Trevor nodded. "A lot," he added. She smiled.

"I like you too," she said, glancing at him. Trevor smiled, but didn't meet her eyes.

They didn't say anything for a while. "So… what were you doing with Adam?"

Amber shook her head. "Nothing. We were just talking. He saved my life," she told Trevor.

Trevor nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to go visit you, but… I didn't want another bloody nose," he said, laughing a little.

Amber smiled and bit her lip. "I'm so sorry about that," she said, glancing at him.

"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling at her.

As they walked, they ventured into the jungle. They shared jokes, laughed, and talked.

"So what's your favorite food?" Trevor asked her.

"Ice cream, duh!" she said laughing.

"What flavor?" he asked.

"Mmm… rainbow sherbet," she said. She closed her eyes and could see the ice cream, which made her mouth water. "I wish we were home," she murmured.

Trevor's smile faded and he frowned. "Yeah, me too," he said, sighing after his sentence.

Adam walked along the beach, Rachel walking beside him. She was going on about how Jenna was beginning to like this one guy, but Adam wasn't really paying attention.

All at once, he was being blasted with sudden questions from Rachel. "What?" he asked, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

Rachel's eyes saddened. "You weren't listening to a thing I've been saying," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just… I don't know, I've been thinking," he began, but was cut off by a sharp snap from Rachel.

"About Amber, I know!" she spat. Adam narrowed his eyes.

"I was going to say I was thinking about home," he said, taking a step closer, his gaze burning into hers. "Why did you think I was thinking about Amber?" he asked, his tone low and curious.

Rachel looked away and said nothing.

"Are you _jealous _of her?" Adam asked, laughing. He reached for her hand, but she pulled away from him and looked away again. "Yeah," she said quietly after a long pause.

"Why?" he asked.

Rachel looked at him and shook her head. "You're really dumb," she said. He glared at her, but said nothing.

"Adam, do you even notice the way you are when you're with her?" he rounded on him.

Adam rolled his eyes. "The only thing we do is fight. We may not be complete enemies like we were, but I still think she's a pain in the ass and she thinks I'm the most stupid person alive," he snapped.

Rachel shook her head again. "Adam, you are so in love with her," she whispered.

Adam just stood there, but after a while, shook his head, but said nothing.

Rachel smiled a little, but nodded. "Adam, you're like… her knight in shinning armor. You saved her and you're always with her to make sure she doesn't get hurt. I saw the way you went off on Trevor. You wanted to kill him. And I feel… I feel like when you kiss me, you picture yourself kissing her, not me."

Adam was silent. After a long moment, he said, "Rachel… Amber and I… we've changed since we landed on this island. Before the crash, we hated each other with so much anger I can't describe it. Yeah, I care about her. I always have and maybe I was trying to hide that by always getting in fights with her because, well… we're not compatible. But I've never… loved her. I guess I looked to her for… I don't know, security? But I could never…" he trailed off, the thought of being in love really starting to enter his mind.

Rachel didn't look at him. "Rachel, to be honest, I don't know what to feel anymore. I don't know… _how_ to feel," he said.

Rachel sighed. "Adam, I'm falling for you, but if you're not falling for me, let me know that way I can stop. Because I'm not about to let my heart be broken," she said and walked passed him.

Adam watched her go and sat down in the sand and put his hands on his forehead and breathed a long sigh. "Great going, Adam," he muttered to himself. He thought about Rachel. She was beautiful, smart, loving, and funny, but… when he really thought about being with her, his vision was blurry. He liked her… a lot. But then he thought about Amber.

He had always hated her; well… at least he thought he did. She really _was _a pain, but… he knew he really cared about her. With her he felt… alive… needed, but he never actually thought about having real feelings for her.

Yeah, she was smoking hot, but that never stopped him from hating her before. He was never bored with her. He shook his head. Amber was never caring for him, never respectful towards him, or gentle with him. She was just… Amber.

He sighed and lay down in the sand and drifted off into sleep.

_The bushes rustled and Adam felt his skin tingle. He began to quiver in fear and began running through the forest. However, he wasn't scared for himself. He ran faster and faster. _

_He came to a stop when he heard shouting and saw the golden red flames of torches. He ducked and heard one man say, "We have to kill her. She's no use to us, anymore. She loves that boy too much to lead us to their camp."_

_He peered through the leaves of the bushes and saw the man push the body of a girl down on the floor. Blood trickled down the side of her head and she had a towel tied around her head and inside her mouth to keep her from talking. She cried in pain as she hit the rocky floor._

_Amber! Adam felt his blood heat up. "Stand up, girl!" shouted one man. "And maybe we'll let you live," he added. Amber tried to stand up, but when she couldn't all the way, the man pulled her up by her hair and she screamed in pain._

_Adam tried hard not to burst out of the bushes and pin the guy down, but it was just him alone and there were too many guys. The odds weren't very pleasing. _

_The men followed, pulling Amber with them. Adam followed, silently creeping behind them. They finally made it to a place that looked just like a regular town, just with jungle trees surrounding it. There were houses and buildings with people dressed in regular clothes. _

_Adam stared in puzzlement. But his attention turned to the torches that glistened in the dark night. Amber's piercing scream made his heart skip a beat. _

_He peered through the leaves and saw them sit her down on a boulder and begin asking her questions. "You love that boy?" the guy asked. Amber didn't say or do anything. He turned around and walked a couple steps away and then turned back around and smacked her hard against her face. She fell back and when she looked up, Adam saw blood flowing from a fresh wound on her cheek._

_He saw tears begin streaming down them as well and felt his hands form into fists. "You're not going to tell me where your people are… are you?" he whispered._

_Amber shook her head and the man stood straight and grabbed a spear-like stick and said, "Too bad you never got to tell him," and stabbed her with it._

"_No!!" Adam screamed; his voice mingling with the painful wail that was the last thing that escaped Amber's throat._

_Suddenly, the whole dream seemed to rewind in a split second. Then, he was suddenly kneeling by a creek beside Amber. She opened her hand to reveal to him a toy airplane. "Look," she whispered. He looked at her in confusion and then down at the plane as though the whole incident hadn't occurred. He took it._

"_What about it?" he asked._

_Amber smiled and took it back. "It's on the island. There must be life somewhere. What would a toy plane be doing on a deserted island unless someone brought it here?" she said, bonking him on the head. "Think, you idiot," she said, giggling a little. He rolled his eyes with annoyance and glared at her. _

_Then it went back and replayed Amber being stabbed. Her piercing cry rang in his ears._

"_I guess she really did love him," the man said._

Adam sat up, panting. He looked around. He was back on the beach and the sun was falling behind what looked like the end of the ocean. "Amber," he murmured, still panting.

He stood up. She was with Trevor. He inhaled deeply and sighed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He looked back at camp and saw people sitting down on the beach together, kids chasing the dog Spencer, and some people dancing to music.

He looked towards the jungle and heard an ominous whispering sound. He saw the trees move as though something giant was walking through them. His heart began to pound.

"_Go," _said a voice. Adam spun around and saw no one. He shook his head and watched the jungle trees stop moving and saw through the tops, black smoke. His heart skipped a beat. The black smoke!

He raced into the jungle as the smoke disappeared. When he was deep inside, he began shouting Amber's name.

He heard laughing and voices nearby. Adam narrowed his eyes and walked towards the sound and peered through the bushes, afraid he was going to see Amber being taken hostage like in his dream, but what he saw was just as infuriating.

Amber looked wasted. She was laughing and talking as though she was drunk and Trevor was just looking at her.

"I know you like me, Trevor," she was saying teasingly.

Trevor moved closer to her. "I want you, Amber," he whispered to her. Amber looked at him, and she shook her head.

"Maybe I should get back to camp," she said, trying to stand, but stumbled into Trevor's arms. She froze and he pressed his lips against hers. Adam felt his spine tingle and waited to see Amber's reaction.

She was trying to push him away, but she was too weak from the alcohol Trevor had obviously given her. She moaned, but her head fell back, and Adam could tell she had passed out.

Trevor pressed her body up against a boulder and moved his lips down to her neck. Adam heard Amber say, "No."

Adam burst through the trees and grabbed Trevor and pinned him down. "You thought you could get away with it again, huh!?" he shouted.

"Dude get off! She's the one who was teasing me!" Trevor shouted, punching Adam in the face. Adam fell back, but before Trevor could get away, he pulled him by his shirt and wrapped his hands around his throat.

He began choking Trevor and he could barely make out him saying, "Please, stop!"

Anger surged through him and he shouted at him, "Stay away from her, you son of a bitch!"

He let go of Trevor and he began coughing and spitting. "Get out of here," Adam said, his voice low and cold. Trevor stood and raced out of the clearing.

Adam touched his lip. It was bleeding but he wiped away the blood with his shirt and walked over to Amber. She was whispering something he couldn't hear.

"Amber, can you hear me?" he asked, kneeling down beside her. He saw her blink a couple of times until she opened her eyes fully.

"Adam…" she trailed off as she sat up. "Trevor…," she said.

"Yeah, I know," he said, helping her up. "Come on, let's get you back to camp," he said.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

As Adam and Amber walked back to camp, the alcohol really started kick in as Amber went off about random stuff and stumbled when she walked.

"Yeah, maybe you should rest for a while," Adam murmured, letting her sit down.

Amber laughed and looked at Adam. "So have you kissed Rachel tonight?" she asked. Adam narrowed his eyes. "What… why?" he asked.

Amber shook her head and looked up. "Because you like her," she said, almost falling to her side.

"No," Adam said, just going along with her.

"Why not? Is it because you want to kiss _me_?" she said, laughing. Adam looked at her. She was staring at him. Her eyes were glistening with mischief.

"What… I-" he broke off as she cut him off.

"Come on, Adam, I know you want to kiss me," she said, leaning towards him. "Or are you too afraid to admit?" she asked, giggling.

Adam gave a small laugh. "Yeah right. I wouldn't even be _tempted_ to kiss you," he said, laughing a little more.

"Well I wouldn't be tempted to kiss you, either," she said, her eyes narrowing into a glare.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "I bet you're tempted right now," he said, going along with her.

"No, I bet you're tempted," she said, leaning towards him.

Adam realized her face was about two inches away from his. He felt his heart begin to beat fast and his skin begin to tingle.

Amber leaned towards him and gently pressed her lips against his into a soft kiss. Adam froze for a second, but kissed her back and leaned into her, deepening the kiss. His hand moved up to her hair and he felt her hand touch his neck. He didn't know how long it lasted, but if felt… amazing!

When they broke apart, he saw Amber smile a little. "So you _were_ tempted," she said.

Adam smiled after a couple seconds. "You kissed _me,_" he said.

"You kissed me back," she said, her eyes shinning, but he could tell she was so drunk, she probably wouldn't remember a thing in the morning.

Adam inhaled. He felt tempted to kiss her again when she leaned forward and whispered, "I've always been tempted."

She stood up and stumbled but regained her balance. He stood too and helped her to the camp. She knocked out into sleep as soon as she lay down in her tent.

"What happened?" Nick asked.

"Trevor," Adam replied, his tone ice cold.

Nick shook his head. "Stupid kid," he said.

Adam and Nick walked on the beach. "She didn't do anything stupid, did she?" Nick asked.

Adam tensed and felt his face become red.

Nick apparently saw it. "She did something didn't she?" he asked.

"She kissed me," Adam said after a small pause.

He looked out to the horizon; the sky turning to a dark purplish blue with a small orange sun slowly disappearing behind the whistling blue-green sea.

Nick looked at him. "She did?" he asked.

Adam nodded.

"What did you do?" Nick asked.

There was a long pause. Adam looked down at his feet as he walked and then looked forward.

"I kissed her back," he murmured.

Nick laughed. "Did you want to?" he inquired.

Adam flushed even more red. "Yeah… I did," he confessed.

"Damn, I can't believe it," Nick murmured, laughing a little. "So… what did you think? Sweet, slutty… what?" he asked, shaking his head and looking forward as well.

Adam gave a small laugh. "Why am I even telling you this?" he asked.

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You're a guy, I'm a guy, we're both into women who…" he trailed off and looked down, and then forward again, "Who are so different from us," he finished.

"I never said I was into Amber," Adam said, narrowing his eyes.

Nick turned to Adam. "Then why did you kiss her?" he asked.

Adam opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know the right answer. "I don't know. She's…" he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Hot?" Nick asked, laughing.

"Well, yeah she is, but… that's not it," he murmured. "I guess I just… wasn't thinking."

"You think she'll remember?" Nick asked.

Adam shrugged. "I'll be surprised if she remembers anything from last night," he muttered.

Nick nodded.

"So… you and Maddie. How's that going?" Adam asked.

Nick didn't answer at once. After a long silence, he murmured, "I'm falling in love with her."

Adam raised his eyebrows. "Wow," he said.

Nick smiled. "She's… amazing. I feel like I'm important, or needed, and alive when I'm with her," he said.

Adam smiled a little and said, "H-how exactly do you know when you're… in love?"

Nick shook his head. "When you can't explain it," he replied.

Amber lifted her head and groaned. She let her head fall back onto her pillow and looked around. Her vision was blurry and she rubbed her eyes and it cleared up a bit. She felt her stomach churn and she moaned again.

"You're up!" exclaimed a voice. She opened one eye to see her friend Sabrina, standing at the entrance of her tent. Amber pulled a pillow and put it over her head. "Can you not be so loud?" he whined.

Sabrina raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's what you get for drinking alcohol," she muttered, coming in and kneeling down beside Amber. Amber narrowed her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "I didn't drink…" she trailed off, suddenly realizing the "juice" Trevor had given her was actually beer. "Oh my god," she moaned. "How could I have been so stupid!" she screamed, burying her face in her pillow.

Sabrina bit her lip and hugged Amber. "You're not stupid. He's the stupid one," Sabrina told Amber.

Amber sat up, even though she didn't feel good. "All I remember is him giving me something to drink and we were talking. Then he was trying to talk me into making out with him. I told him no and he just gave me more of that "juice"," she said, her voice sounding with fury at the word, juice.

Sabrina laughed a little. "Do you remember anything else?" she asked.

Amber froze. "I-I remember… Adam," she said hesitantly.

Sabrina smiled. "He totally beat up Trevor. He brought you back," she told Amber.

Amber's face was expressionless until her eyes filled with trouble. "Are you okay?" she asked Amber. Amber nodded and said, "I just… need to think. I want to remember," she said. Sabrina nodded and left the tent.

Amber felt her eyes swell up with tears.

She buried her face in her knees and cried. "Why am I so stupid?" she asked, looking up and wiping the tears from her cheek.

"You're not," said a voice. Amber turned to see Adam walking over to her. He sat down beside her. She felt her cheeks turn red and looked away.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured.

"Why? It wasn't your fault," he said.

"But it was!" she cried, standing up. She walked a few steps away and then turned around to face him.

"I knew I shouldn't have listened to him. I knew it! But I didn't want to believe he would do anything to me," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Adam stood and walked over to her. She buried her face in her hands and Adam wrapped his arms around her.

Amber didn't know how long they stood there, but when she pulled away, she felt like she was going to pass out.

She stumbled, but regained her balance.

Adam touched her arm. "Whoa, you okay?" he asked.

"Not one of my best days, but… I'll live," she said, trying to laugh.

She looked up at him and for a long time, they just looked at each other.

Amber didn't even realize they were leaning towards each other. Before their lips could touch, she heard someone came into the tent. She turned her head to see Sabrina standing there.

"Oh I'm uh, sorry. I didn't mean to, uh, I'll just leave," Sabrina said and left.

Amber smiled a little and looked back at Adam to see him looking away, his eyes troubled.

"Thanks," she said. He turned his gaze back to her. "For everything," she added, looking down at her hands.

"Don't mention it," Adam murmured, walking a little ways off. Amber closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again and directed them to Adam.

"What happened… last night?" she asked.

Adam looked at her. "You don't remember?" Amber shook her head.

Adam stammered, but then said, "Nothing. I just helped you back to camp. Then you fell asleep."

Amber shook her head. "Something happened and I don't remember what," she murmured, walking over to him. She looked at him and their eyes met. "You know it. But you're not telling me," she murmured.

Adam gave a small laugh. "Amber, you were so drunk, you were almost going to pass out," he said, walking outside the tent. She followed him outside.

"I was not!" she protested.

"Just because I was drunk doesn't mean-" she broke off and she felt her stomach flip. "Hold on," she said and ran behind a tree.

Adam winced when he heard her throw up. He saw her hold her stomach and moan. She fell back on the sand and he ran over to her.

"Whoa, easy," he said as she tried to get back up and fall down again. He handed her his bottle of water.

She took it and let the cool liquid slide down her throat.

She tilted her head back and inhaled deeply. "Definitely not my best day," she muttered, her eyes closed.

Adam smiled and laughed a little. He put one arm behind her back and the other under her legs and lifted her up. She let her head lean against his shoulder as he carried her back to her tent.

He set her down gently and she blushed. "Thanks," she said, feeling stupid because she's probably said it about fifty million times.

Adam gave a curt nod and opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the right words to say.

"Anytime," he murmured at last He stood to leave, but she stood too and grabbed his hand. He turned around and she kissed his cheek.


End file.
